Winds of Changing Teams
by KaliAnn
Summary: A month after Harmonic Convergence, big changes are occurring in the now rejoined worlds. Team Avatar are over their heads with the emergence of new airbenders and a secret society. At the same time the new Young Justice team is clashing with one another as they struggle to unite together. With both teams joining together can they survive the changing storm around them?
1. Four Winds

_Greetings readers and welcome to the third installment of the Legend of Korra/Young Justice crossover! This story will cover Book Three: Change and also use some fan driven ideas about what happen between the five year skip in Young Justice, (ugh I hated that time skip!). Also I decide a month should pass from Harmonic Convergence because I think two weeks is very short time for the realistic goal of reclaiming parts of the city. _

_Most importantly we'll be seeing some new faces in this story so I hope that you like how I write them. As always please support my original book "Battle for the Stars" by either purchasing it or asking your local library to carry it. Thank you again and now without further ado, on with the story!_

* * *

Sleeping in his dormitory room and trying to block out the sun was an exhausted eighteen year old. Grumbling, he pulled the covers up and placed the pillow over his head. "Ten more minutes please. I don't want to get up," he mumbled as he tried to settle back in for another hour of sleep when the morning gong sounded. "AAAAAAAHHHHHH!" he yelled, while getting tangled in the sheets, he fell off his bed on to the floor barely missing an incomplete arrow to the back.

Pulling the sheets off him Kilchii rubbed his eyes as he stared around his messy room. Most of his clothes had been tossed on the floor, his arrows had slipped off the desk cramped in to the corner. His uniform and bow were hanging neatly in the closet along with a pile of schematics while random pieces of tech littered the room. "Stupid dawn wake up calls! Ugh, I just know that Tenzin's going to be on my case about my room again," he muttered. Struggling he gathered up his bathroom supplies heading to the shower.

Once he got the temperature hot enough he stepped inside savoring the hot water and the privacy he got here. No Air Acolytes trying to convert him to their ways, no bothersome Tenzin or surprise attacks by Bumi. Just peace and quiet, well for the most part. Ever since he fused with Varuna and became the Spirit's Champion, the new spirit was constantly asking him questions.

"_I still don't understand this underlying conflict between you and Tenzin. I've seen that both of you respect each other tremendously and you both care for Korra and the family members residing here. So why are there so many conflicts between you two?" _Varuna asked in childlike curiosity.

"It normal for people to have some conflict with another person. My beliefs and needs are not the same as Tenzin's. When I came here there was a lot conflict due to my background. When Tenzin started trying to control me it reminded me of being used by the Light so I resisted," Kilchii answered out loud. He usually spoke out loud to the spirit when they were alone, but in public they talked mentally. Going through his morning routine he countiued to explain about boundaries and limits before heading to his room.

Twenty minutes later he was presentable and he came to the dining hall. The only ones there were the kids, minus Jinora, while Pema and Kya, along with Bolin sat opposite of them. "Where's everyone else?" he asked as he slid down next to Bolin. His stomach growled in protest at another fruit salad for breakfast. He lived here for months, but everyone once and awhile he wanted real food. Getting up, he went to the kitchen and came back in a few minutes with a bowl of cereal. Last time, he was back in his old world, he had stocked up on a lot of his and Korra's favorite food, which they kept locked in their own cupboard and ice box. Pema only raised an eyebrow, but said nothing.

"Does that stuff really taste well? I mean you said it was processed. Maybe something fresh would be better," Bolin suggested. Kilchii glared at him and the earthbender quickly explained where everyone was. Hearing that Korra was once more venturing in the new Spirit Wilds he smacked his head with the heel of his hand.

"She should know by now we can't get rid of the vines with physical attacks. I hope she tries something different. Any messages for me?" Pema pulled out a piece of paper from her robe handing it to him. "Great, another dispute. I'm getting really tired of this quick. Hey Bolin, want to come help me?"

"Sure! I want to see how you use Varuna's powers to dish out justice," he exclaimed over Meelo and Ikki's protests they wanted to come. Even little Rohan wanted to come as he squirmed in his mother's arms. Kya calmed the kids down, by reminding them they were going to spar with her later. They were delighted to hear that, not even noticing the boys slipping off.

* * *

Twenty minutes later Bolin was clutching tightly to Kilchii, as the boy zigzagged between the streets on his new Satocycle Asami had gifted him with. It was a special model, designed to use his special tech and help carry his hero supplies. It handled like a dream, he revved it before racing up a broken piece of road before landing like a pro dodging a monstrous vine with only inches to spare. A few minutes later he came to a stop, parking the bike next to a house. Bolin stumbled off not use to the way Kilchii rode.

Kilchii, walked over to a small squabbling group composed of a few different spirits that resembled mixed up animals and several citizens. A fight looked likely so he whistled drawing everyone's attention. He held out his right palm showing his Champion mark. "I was told by the police that there was disturbance here. I'm here to help sort this out. What seems to be the trouble?"

The leader of the humans, an oversized slightly balding man in a grey suit, pointed to the spirits jabbing his finger at them. "You can ask these pest to leave and take their nasty trees with them! Just look what they did to my home." The man said pointing to a decent apartment complex. The vines had separated the complex into three sections, parts which were covering it. A tree was growing on the roof and a tangle of green and blue grass was over running the walkway. There was no way to get in.

One of the spirits spoke up squeaking. He resembled a cross between a white squirrel and raccoon. He was rather big and seemed to be in charge of the group. He chirped angrily using his tail to tell his story. Varuna translated the spirits words to him. Basically the three spirits were arguing this was part of their home that got tore out thanks to the Dark Avatar's attack. It was their safe zone and they didn't want to leave. If they left, they were afraid that their energy wouldn't be strong enough to find a new home.

It was a dilemma, 10,000 years apart had created a symbiotic relationship between humans and spirits. Now that the Spirit World had healed and reopened to the world, it was a struggle for spirits and humans to learn to work through these new changes and find a balance.

"Alright, I've heard enough. Mr.?"

"Satki, Tsbusa Satki I own the home decor store in the main plaza," he recited puffing out his chest. Kilchii could practically feel the ego oozing off this guy.

"Well Mr. Satki, our spirit friend Bandit and his buddies explained to me how this was _their_ home that was forcefully yanked out of the Spirit World during Harmonic Convergence. With all the changes going on, their afraid to leave their safety zone."

"Do I look like I care boy? I want this apartment building restored with the pests removed at once. So do whatever a so-called Champion does and fix this problem right now!" The man mad the mistake of moving closer to Bandit in an attempt to hit him, when the spiritual energy increased as his arm was encased in a gray light. Frightened, the two groups looked at the Champion.

His mark was brightly lit, pulsating gray and yellow. The patterns of Varuna covered his body as his blue green eyes appeared to get wider. When he spoke it was two voices combined as one. "**Enough, I/we won't tolerate such behavior. I/we understand your frustrations, both of you have equal claim to this spot, but fighting and threatening one another isn't the solution." **

A female human, most likely Mrs. Satki, brushed past her husband and did a half bow towards the Champion, who gave her a nod of respect. "Great Varuna, Spirit of Justice and Reason, how do you propose we settle this dispute reasonably?"

"**Is there a courtyard in the back of the apartment complex?" ** The woman nodded explaining it was a medium size yard with a few flowers and trees. Taking this fact into account, the Spirit's Champion made his ruling. **"Would you all be willing to make a compromise for a time? If the spirits live in the courtyard you can regain the housing. I'm going to be speaking soon with the President about a solution that would make everyone in the city and the rest of the nation happy." **

The humans talked quietly. Mr. Satki was protesting loudly, but the others overruled him agreeing to comprise at the same time the spirits did. Now came the tricky part. While Kilchii was the Spirit's Champion, he couldn't control Varuna's power by himself. He acted like a conduit directing the spiritual power while the Spirit wielded it to do what he wanted. In this case Kilchii placed his palm on the vines pouring energy into the vine as Varuna direct the plants to relocate to the courtyard. It was an enormous use of energy and when they finished, Kilchii collapsed into Bolin's arms.

"Are you okay? Because that was the coolest thing ever! You're the greatest non-bender ever," Bolin yelled into Kilchii ears giving him a bigger headache. Seeing his mistake he helped the boy over towards his ride giving him a chance to recover. "I guess using spirit powers is really hard on your body huh?"

"It is, right now I'm so weak I think Rohan could defeat me. Varuna and I need to practice together more so we can work as one and not two individuals struggling for control," the teen explained. His civilian wear was soaked in sweat, no doubt he needed another shower. Taking few deep breaths he wondered how his girlfriend was doing.

* * *

Korra was not having an easy time at all. Currently she was in the midst of the Spirit Wilds near City Hall. Tenzin and Jinora trailed after her, Jinora playing with the spirits and Tenzin encouraging Korra gently. "I know it's been a month with little progress, but you shouldn't be discouraged. You completed all your training, meaning you're more than capable of dealing with this problem."

Korra gritted her teeth and counted to ten. She gripped her charm bracelet amulet tightly. Inside each of the charms were all the past Avatars spirits, thanks to Hoa's intervention, they hadn't been lost forever. Still, now that they were outside her body she was having to learn all over again how to call on them.

Running a hand through her ponytail she walked over to a particularly thick vine wrapped all around a building. She pressed her hand against the vine as she slowed down her breathing. In her mind's eye she could feel the spiritual energy inside the vines circulating. The energy was gaining strength as it continued to take root. Using her energybending she tried to reverse the flow of energy, coaxing it to stop rooting, return to its original state. Suddenly the spiritual energy intensified and Korra was thrown back as the vines got thicker and grew more.

"Korra, are you alright?" Tenzin asked anxiously. He knelt to help her up. The nearby spirits were shaking and trembling in fear. They started to chirp anxiously. Jinora reached out petting them. "Its okay, it's okay. Korra didn't mean to frighten you."

"Ugh, anyone catch the name of that driver?" The Avatar held her head in her hand trying to collect her thoughts. "Well, that's another idea shot down. I can't bend the vines away and manipulating the spiritual energy just causes it to react violently and grow more. If I thought talking to them would help I would, but there's no mind that I can find."

The little spirits came over to her and started to chat with her. At first she had trouble understanding them because they were lesser spirits. There was a tug at the back of her mind, Raava was hovering there helping her understand their chatter. She talked with the spirits for several minutes listening to them. When they finished she thanked them and then headed out of the jungle with the two airbenders following her.

"What did they say Korra, why are you walking away from this?" Tenzin persistently asked. The teen spun around with a mixed expression. "Do you ever stop talking?!"

Tenzin appeared to be taken aback about by her rudeness. Korra never lashed out like that. He really looked at the girl for the first time; realizing how much this stress was draining her. There were circles under her eyes from the lack of sleep, her muscle tone was getting worse and she couldn't keep still. "I'm sorry, I should have understood the pressure your under."

"It's okay, I have to go to a press conference right now. I'll meet you back at the meditation pavilion afterwards." She told him curtly as she flew off on the glider. As exhausted as she was she couldn't avoid this press conference. The Spirit Wilds were strongest in the city, but they had popped up all over the Republic putting President Raiko in a difficult position. He knew he was losing the people's trust so he was looking for a scapegoat.

Arriving at City Hall she was just in time for Raiko's accusations against her. He was questioning her abilities as the Avatar and the wisdom of having the two worlds merging once again. He even accused her of using her new status of Southern Water Tribe "princess" to avoid doing anything useful.

Months ago, she might have lashed out brazenly and made a physical threat, but she had learned tact and public speaking from some of the best in Young Justice's world. Calmly she looked at Raiko, while positioning herself to be seen and heard by the press. "President Raiko, I understand your frustrations and fears. I feel the same way. I know that many think I made a mistake dealing with the Spirit World, however I was fulfilling a promise made ten thousand years ago. Both worlds need each other to survive, even if the changes right now are inconvenient."

"You question my abilities and my commitment to resolving this. I haven't stopped trying to find a solution, but big changes like this can't be solved in as little as a month. I need more time to understand the changes, the spirits need to learn to adjust to the physical world and vice versa. I won't give up until I'm strong enough to resolve this, but be prepared to make some sacrifices along the way." The press bombarded her with questions and she replied no comment, seeing Asami, she jumped in the car and they hurried home.

* * *

An hour later Korra was still trying to meditate in the pavilion. Jinora must have told her father she needed some alone time. Ikki and Meelo had decide to play with the animals. She was pretty sure Bumi was trying to make amends with Bumjun, (something about a sweater), while Kya and Pema took care of Rohan.

"Peace, quiet, tranquility. Let your spirit free, feel the world around you," she whispered. Letting reality slip away she once more found herself floating in the darkness in her spiritual form. She reached out trying to find the connecting energies yet she couldn't see them. Focusing harder she felt a connection close by and went searching for it. After stumbling around in the dark she realized the connection was on her. Her water droplet necklace was infused with the spiritual energy of Harmonic Convergence.

Touching the gem she could feel their energies mixing as the connection established itself. The spiritual energy surged through her body causing her own center to become unstable. _"Don't fight it, let it become part of you. Control the connection and direct it where you want it to flow," _Raava advised her.

Korra followed the Light Spirit's advice. She focused her energies until they were aligned in a solid connection with one another. This was the easy part, now came the hard part. Lifting her hand she let the dazzling bracelet dangle in front of her. With a little hesitation she manipulated the connection line until it latched on to one of the charms, this one was her personal charm crafted after her unique superhero id.

"_I feel it, I can sense my last six incarnations. I need to pick one," she whispered. "Aang come to me, Aang I need your wisdom. Please Aang answer me." _ A single light started to grow and take form. She could almost make out Aang, when suddenly the connection fell apart and she woke up panting. "Not again!"

"Still having trouble I see, how far did you get this time?" Kilchii asked playfully as he walked down the steps coming to a stop next to her. "I'm guessing the connection fell apart just as you were about to get a past life to come forth."

Korra nodded before leaning against the rail watching the sunset. "I don't get why this is so hard. I mastered energybending and have relearned how to connect with the spiritual energy web. I even learned to control the HC power, but the connection stability keeps snapping at crucial moment when I need a past life," she pouted. Before she could go into a rant how she was the worst Avatar, Kilchii reminded her that Boa had offered to give her help via radio and that once Hoa was done training with her powers under her mother, The Painted Lady, in the Spirit World, she promised to help. Feeling a bit better they both headed to dinner unaware of the miracle that would change their paths once more.

* * *

Amaterasu was in her home in the Spirit World, a huge flourishing canyon, listening as her fellow air spirits, sylphs, fluttered about bringing the latest news to her. Sitting comfortably on her cloud she started to redo her hair so it was in a traditional Japanese style. "So wonderful to see that my fellow spirits are getting along so well with humans. Oh certainly you're a bit of bothersome for now, but soon they will accept you," she told them, patting their heads.

She listened as the winds blew about all around her. Her part of the Spirit World, known affectionately by Heavenly Winds of Light, had been greatly agitated since Harmonic Convergence. The sun in the sky never rose above the trees as bursts of uncontrolled breezes blasted through the trees carrying leaves and petals with them. Amaterasu could track the winds until they slipped into the real world. She was deeply troubled by this and asked the young Aurais if they could follow the winds. She knew that one spirit wind, that she had managed to manipulate, had settled around her friend Bumi, but didn't know preciously what it meant.

Her musings got interrupted by the sounds of light breezy winds calling her name. Settling on the ground she watched as the cool breeze turned into four lovely ladies each wearing a simple tunic with the colors of the different wind directions on them. They all began speaking at once causing the Guardian Spirit to lose her patience and bellowed that they should speak one at a time. "What is going on with my winds? Why are they taking bits energy from the old Air Nomads and circling the mortal realm?" As the four ladies talked about what was happening, Amaterasu felt new connections being formed inside her.

"This is both very good and very bad. Go find Tempus and tell him I'm taking a trip to the mortal realm. I put you four in charge of protecting this part of the Spirit World. I can only hope I control what has occurred at random."

It was a new day on Air Temple Island. Many of the residents were going about their business, but the little family had gathered in the courtyard watching as Bumi struggled to airbend once more as he had the previous night. While there were many theories no one could come up with a reason, especially when Lin and Mako came and told them about a similar case. "What in the world do you think is going on Tenzin? How can people suddenly be getting airbending?" Lin asked.

"Because it's partially my fault, but mostly the shift in energy thanks to the Dark Avatar," a familiar voice said. Everyone watched as several clouds stacked up on the courtyard. The sun shone brightly piercing them as the wind blew them away revealing the Guardian Spirit of the Air Nomads, Amaterasu appeared. She wore a worried expression on her face, but nevertheless let the children come over and hug them. She whispered praise to her Chosen One and told her Little Helpers how impressed she was with their progress. Dipping her head she acknowledge Pema and Rohan, giving them the respect they were due.

Pema understood that this was a grown up conversation so she called to her children, "Jinora, Ikki, Meelo; I know you want to spend more time with our Guardian Spirit, but now she needs to have a grown up talk with the others. Why don't you help me inside your brother teaching him how to stand up and walk?" Excited by the thought they hurried in after their mother already challenging one another what they would teach to the almost nine month old.

Once Tenzin was certain his family was out of an earshot he bowed to the Guardian. "Great Amaterasu, you honor us by coming here. My brother and this man Mako spoke of, are they the only ones blessed with airbending or will there be more?"

"More to the point, you said this was partially your fault. I believe you owe us an explanation before we get to the new benders," Lin demanded in her strong cop stance. Tenzin looked hurt, but she was right.

Creating some clouds to recline in she addressed the group, but kept her eyes locked firmly on the Avatar and Spirit's Champion. "Do you recall how damaged the Spirit World was due to the negative energy created by Vaatu and how Varuna needed our help to restore balance to our home?"

Kilchii nodded, "That was the first time Varuna used my body to help him control his power. When it was over the Spirit World had healed and spirits were now strong enough to come and go, just like humans, fulfilling the promise Avatar Wan made."

Korra tapped her feet, unconsciously rubbing her water droplet necklace. "Ever since then, I've felt something changing. Not just random Spirit Wilds popping up, but the flow of energy has been altered. I can sense it." Kya and Tenzin nodded, they both felt the same thing. The energy was stronger and faster than before. Many of the Acolytes reported feeling their chi centers acting up, giving them a new-found youth in a way.

"That confirms what my fellow spirits have reported to me. The clash of dark energy followed by the renewal of energy was enough to trigger a release of the airbending and the souls of the Air Nomads from their sanctuaries in the trees of my canyon."

Bumi's eyes bugged out hearing that the Guardian Spirit, had kept watch over the essences of his father's culture. She further explained with the shift of energy, air was needed once more to stabilize the flow. Her winds had taken bits of the old nomads plus their bending, before escaping into the real world, where spiritual hotspots would send the winds scattering in four directions.

"Hold up, are you telling me that one of those winds latched on to me?" she nodded explaining he was the only wind she had managed to direct. "Why give me airbending abilities? If Harmonic Convergence was a month ago, why am I only showing powers now?"

Amaterasu pressed her forehead to Bumi's. A brief exchange of information occurred. Why she chose him because he was Aang's son, but more importantly because he wanted to connect to his father's people. In turn he promised to carry out his duties and protect her new charges with his life.

"Bumi, are you okay? Do you need me to check you over," Kya asked anxiously. He touched his younger sister's hand letting her know he was fine. "She told me that the winds are settling on people who share some trait admired by airbenders of the past. Once settled inside, there's a period of adjustment before the power emerges."

"Meaning that it's impossible to figure out who will get it and who won't. Are the airbenders restricted to the United Nations and Earth Kingdom?" Lin asked, taking out a notebook to write down the information.

Amaterasu looked at her with steel eyes, "All _five _nations are bestowed with citizens of the Air Nomads. In the next few weeks non-benders will gain airbending. Already they're Air Acolytes and children at the temples showing the signs of airbending. Shortly the Water Tribes will find airbenders followed by the Fire Nation. At the moment you'll be finding most of them in the United Nations and the Earth Kingdom."

Tenzin eyes sparkled, his father's dream was at last coming true. The rebirth of the Air Nomads. He would teach them all and soon the temples would be filled with airbenders and Acolytes as a nearly extinct culture took its place again. He was so happy he nearly missed what Amaterasu and the two heroes were talking about.

"So until the winds settle and they start bending you can't find them" Korra inquired.

"Nor their intentions. I fear some of the people who receive my gift will misuse it. The only way to make certain is to have the new recruits meet in a relatively safe place to live and train."

Kilchii nodded. They could radio the tribes and nation to be on the lookout for airbenders. Maybe they could persuade President Raiko to create a special team to find the benders, it would be great PR for him. Asami was already promising an airship they could use to search the Earth Kingdom. Assuring the Guardian Spirit they would do everything in their power to ensure the Air Nomads would be safe, she thanked them and left.

* * *

Across the void in another world Aqualad was counting to ten trying to keep his cool. In their world, almost a year and three months had passed, since he had journeyed to Korra' world and stopped the Dark Avatar. He would enjoy his talks with her, but it was difficult at times. Korra was still eighteen in her world while the others had aged more. It was a continuous frustration between the friends and only Tempus's promise that time would synch up "soon" gave everyone some hope. Of course soon by spirits viewpoints of time were vastly different than normal people.

Aqualad looked at his wrist where the gold pronged bracelet laid. The urge to contact Korra, or Kilchii was overwhelming, but he had too many responsibilities to worry about right now. So he left is private office and went to check on the new Young Justice team.

When he entered the combat arena he was once again bombarded by arguments. When the new members had initially joined the team they had spent most of their time with their mentors learning about their powers and how to work with others. The missions they had gone on had either always been with their mentors or at least one senior member of the team. Now that things had changed with some members joining the League, others on the reserve list and a few on trips, it was getting difficult to mesh the members as a cohesive team. After a few disastrous missions when they had split the group up into small squads, codenamed Alpha, Beta, and Gamma, it had been decided to bring the team back together. Even in smaller groups arguments and tensions were high. Aqualad couldn't understand why they were having so many problems now that they were the bulk of the Young Justice team.

"You're crazy you know that Jason? How is stooping to the level of a criminal supposed to save anyone in trouble? We can't go running around being judge and jury," Cassie remarked. She was currently on the sidelines debating with the second Robin, who out of spite, had told the team his first name. Batman had not be pleased.

"So you're telling me just because the Amazons are blessed by Goddesses they have the given right to slaughter any man for daring to set a toe on their stupid island. At least my idea of culling would be strategic and precise. How many supervillains are still walking and breathing when we know there's no hope for them? After so many lives have been taken why not enforce the death penalty on them? It's open up to anyone who does a heinous unforgivable murder!" the boy argued back, tugging on his cape. He was beginning to resent having to take up his older brother's old role. Being Robin was okay, but he wanted something new and better.

"If you two are done with your lover's spat, can we please get on with this? I've got to be back home in two hours to get ready for the art gala my aunt is taking me too," Flamebird aka Betty Kane, moaned. The young college freshman had lost some of her bubbliness and optimism over time. Black Canary mannerism had been absorbed by her sidekick. She tapped the floor impatiently staring down her sparring partner, who just happen to be Static. "Can you please put that rap down so we can get a work out in?"

"Girl don't go dissing my music. I'll have you know it's very popular in my hood," Virgil replied. He charged his flying disk as he called forth electricity. With a grin he fired a blast at her before she was ready knocking her several feet back. If her suit hadn't been insulated she might have received a deadly shock.

"Static that's enough! I'm calling an end…" Aqualad spoke up loudly as he pushed past a couple's spat between Mal and Karen. He looked around for Arsenal, he was supposed be supervising the sparring, but he wasn't there. In front of him Static used his Static Cling to hold Flamebird to the ground, but she wouldn't be held prisoner. Out of the slits in her gloves two birdarangs attached to lines dug into the floor. She clenched her fists around a button disrupting the flow of power freeing herself.

Wasting no time she executed a perfect floor routine landing behind Static. He twisted around to strike her, but she caught his arm, twisted before moving around so she could throw him towards the middle. He crashed hard, but the computer didn't call a knock out. Surprised, she charged forward not even waiting to see what was happening with Static. Suddenly a burst of electrical net captured her sending her to the floor losing the fight. Struggling she saw Static hovering in the air smirking. "Told you once before, mess with me and get the static shock."

"Err stupid catchphrase. Are you going to let me up now?" Flamebird demanded. He released the net as the two stood. Betty was looking at Virgil angry that a Meta human had once again beat her. All that training with her Meta mentor and she still lost more spars than she won. "I'll get you next time Mr. Cocky."

"Enough! All of you front and center now!" Aqualad barked, watching as they scurried into place. In the calmest voice he could, he asked, "What is going on here? This is a simple sparring session. The goal is to learn your weaknesses and how the rest of the team can back you up. Now, I left Arsenal in charge of this class. Where is he?"

Karen gulped before speaking, "He got a phone call from his wife. She said it was a family emergency so he left rather quickly."

"We assumed that he called either Tempest or Aquagirl to cover the class so when no one showed up we decided to train by ourselves."

Looking around the damaged area and reviewing their past actions it was clear they hadn't accomplished the goal set before them. Taking a few deep breaths Aqualad ordered them to clean up the mess together before heading home. Watching them as they picked up the mess he wondered why they could work well on a simple task, but not when it was an official mission. He needed to speak to his King and soon.

* * *

In Korra's world members of the White Lotus approached a prison in a remote mountain region far from any habitation. The only signs of life was a watchtower and a retractable bridge that lead out to a column with a metal pagoda cell lay. There were at least three Metalbenders on the bridge while two stayed positioned at the watchtower looking for signs of trouble.

Arriving at the cell two Metalbenders used their bending to remove a large portion of metal revealing a door formed by rods of metal with a small opening for food. Sitting on a small bench inside was a middle age man with messy unkempt hair that was black and gray. The man looked up, "Ah the White Lotus once more visits. Have you come to listen to the truth or provide the illusion of reality with false food?"

"That's enough Zaheer! Turn around and place your hands on the wall!" one of the White Lotus Sentries, (the youngest), remarked harshly. Guarding this non-bender for thirteen years had taken a toll on the sentry. Still, something was different today, some instinct was telling him to be cautious today.

Zaheer did as he asked, but continued to recite Air Nomad literature, especially poetry from Guru Laghima. "Have you White Lotuses felt the change of energy? Its proof that the reality one lives in is nothing but an illusion that we imprison ourselves in. In order to free the spirit from this earthbound reality, each of us must relinquish the false attachments that tether us to the world and fly free once more. This was a great wisdom passed down by the great Guru Laghima, he who detached himself so never set foot on the ground the last forty years of his life."

The older Sentries rolled their eyes. One kicked his food through the grate sending it spilling across the cell floor. The other laughed, "You spend all your time reciting poetry and Air Nomad history so much, and why don't you just become one? Oh that's right, you can't airbend only five people can."

Zaheer locked eyes on the mocking sentry and attacked at the same second the youngest tried to pull back his friend with his earthbending. Air burst out of nowhere pulling the mocking guard close enough for him to grasp his neck and choking him.

The older sentry tried to use earth bending to restrain Zaheer, but he created a small twister under him to avoid the rising earth. The youngest started to bend the bars to free his friend only for newfound airbender to send him flying off the edge of the column by a powerful air bullet. The man's screams could be heard as he fell.

Now with only two sentries left Zaheer had the advantage. Grabbing the keys he freed himself shoving open the door. Circling his arms he created strong air movements that surrounded the men. Flipping and swirling them he threw them off the column having the land against the watchtower. By the looks of things they were badly broken. He used his newfound agility and speed to race down and up to the other column. He produced two air funnels firing several metal shards at the remaining sentries. Caught off guard the metal pierced their vital organs as the fell to their knees dying.

Zaheer sneered as he removed a dying sentries robe. "Air is the element of freedom and I shall not be caged. This blessed gift will help usher in a new era, one where chaos reigns supreme while the destruction of the White Lotus and the Avatar makes it impossible to have order anymore." Turning his back on the dying men, he pocketed a map of the location of his fellow team members, and used his bending to escape the mountain range intent on his goal.

* * *

Night had fallen in Korra's world. It had been a long exhausted day for everyone. The Fire Nation and Water Tribes agreed to keep a lookout for new airbenders and send them to the Northern Air Temple once Tenzin was established there. Kilchii and her had managed to broker a deal with President Raiko, he would establish a task force of former Equalists to look for the airbenders in the United Republic, in exchange the Avatar and Spirit's Champion would have to create their "urban nature redesign" once they finished with restoring the Air Nomads to their former status. No word from the Earth Kingdom yet, but Asami was confident her airship would help them traverse the land quickly.

Korra had fallen asleep almost the moment her face hit the pillow. The pups had joined her. They recently had a growth spurt doubling their size making it a tight squeeze on the bed. Naga softly got each of the pups off, licking them as they went back to sleep on the floor. Naga lifted her head and whined in concern. Her best friend was tossing and turning gripping the sheets tightly. "No, who are you, leave me alone," she moaned.

_Korra was in the family home and was five years old. Outside she could hear the sounds of a battle going on. She was determined to get out there. She was the Avatar! _

"_I have to help Daddy! Whomsoever out there will have to deal with me!" Korra shouted running to the entrance only for her to frozen up to her neck. She squirmed trying to melt the ice, but her mother pulled her closer, melted the ice, before hugging her tightly. "Korra, listen to me, you're too small to help. Please, go hide in your room and stay there until its safe. Can you do that for mommy?" _

_Seeing the fear in her mother's eye's the little girl nodded, hurrying into her room and was just about to hide in her closet when she heard her mom yelling for someone to get out of their home. Torn between indecision she inched towards the door pressing her ear to it. _

_She could hear the sounds of her mother using her waterbending as the non-bender twisted around and able to land a few hits on Senna. "Who are you? Why are you after my daughter?!" Senna demanded followed by the sound of slamming her foot on the ground sending an ice creeper at the intruder. Then a voice she couldn't forget calmly answered her mother's question. _

"_I am Zaheer and as for my reasons behind this, I don't have to tell you," he whispered. Korra covered her ears as the battle got worse only to stop when she heard her dad come back helping to defeat the strange man. She stayed in her room until her parents collected her and the intruder was gone._

"_Don't worry Korra," her dad whispered as she clung to his neck. "That man and his friends are going far away, they'll never hurt you again. I promise." _

In the real world, Korra twisted her sheets, tears misting her closed eyes. She just couldn't will herself awake no matter how hard she tried. In the male dormitory Kilchii was sweating profusely as his body went rigid. "No, stop!"

_He was restrained to a table. He struggled pulling on the straps. The cool air and the lack of light told him he was underground. Twisting his head he could hear something, no _somebody_, calling for help. "What are you doing to him? Let me up!" _

_Out of the shadows he could see the outline of seven people. "Great job Lexy, this one's almost as annoying as the original," a childlike voice whined. _

_There were sighs of exasperation from at least three people. Two shadows moved closer, one was using robotic hands to place a helmet on his head. A female voice was telling him to relax, he tried to resist only to end up falling into blackness, the last thing he heard were two male voices saying he would perfect when he woke up again._

Kilchii squirmed and shouted in pain. Suddenly, a woman's hand touched his shoulder sending him thrashing. "Kilchii, Kilchii, Red Arrow it's me, Pema! Wake up please!" The words pierced the darkness, as the boy finally opened his eyes filled with terror. His heart was pounding as he struggled to get his breath back under control. Turning a light halfway on he saw Pema, holding Rohan in her arms, looking at him with concern. "Are you alright? Rohan was making a fuss, he kept saying your name in distress. So I took him with me to check on you."

Kilchii blushed hiding his face. "I didn't mean to wake anyone up. It was just a stupid nightmare." Looking at himself he realized his pajamas were soaked in sweat, he started to get up when Pema pushed him back down. "Here, hold Rohan, I'll get you some new pajamas." Rohan wiggled in delight being held by his favorite non-family person. Kilchii smiled and tickled the baby's tummy earning some giggles.

A few minutes later Pema found some clean pajamas. She helped the teen change, asking him if he wanted to talk about his nightmare. Kilchii gave her a stern look before looking away. She gently cupped his chin making her look at him. "I know that you like to put up a strong front, but you have to remember, you're still a child. I know physically you're going to be nineteen in a few weeks, but you know deep inside that you're a scared almost four year old."

"Pema, I can't act like I'm a scared little kid. Korra needs a strong man, the world needs a mature Spirit's champion. I need…" he started to say, before she pressed a finger to his lips. "In public I understand your need to be an almost nineteen year old, but just for the night can't you be a child who's almost four?" Looking at him, her heart broke. So she pushed herself on the bed placing Rohan between them. "I'll spend the night with you, just like I did, when my kids had bad dreams. It will help you sleep."

"Pema, thank you." Kilchii told her sleepily as he nestled under the covers. Pema gently kissed both boys goodnight and fell asleep.

Across the void it seemed as if nightmares were prevailing. Each member who had been at practice today tossed and turned. They got glimpses of fighting soldier with rock hands, a city of living metal, and scary group of four people. The dreams also showed them their worst enemies coming after them, hurting them as they fought to stop an invasion. No one was sure what it meant, but as they each woke up and went back to sleep, they were sure it was a warning of what was to come.


	2. Creating Crossbreezes

When Tenzin woke up the next morning and realized that his wife and youngest son were missing, he shouted so loudly with his airbending, that he not only woke up everyone in the temple, he woke up the island residence and maybe a few people near the docks; that were wondering why they were hearing someone shout about a missing girl and child so early in the morning.

"PEMA! ROHAN! WHERE ARE YOU?" Tenzin continued to shout, he was running through the halls on a mad dash to find them, which he ended up with him tripping on a loose floorboard causing him to crash into his study sending several artifacts in all directions.

"Tenzin! What are you yelling about?" Pema asked as she hurried into the room to help her husband up. Kilchii stood in the doorway in his pajamas holding little Rohan, who was laughing at the sight of his father upside down and covered in relics.

"Pema! I'm so glad that you're alright! I was so worried that something bad happened to you! I couldn't…."

"Couldn't have asked around to find me? Acolyte Zheng saw me last night when I got permission to enter the boys' dormitory. Kilchii was having some serious nightmares last night and needed some comfort." Pema didn't notice how her husband's eyes bugged out at this or how Kilchii rolled his eyes out. Honestly, how long was Tenzin, going to hold on to that grudge about him not wanting to learn about is new position, with Tenzin as a teacher? It seemed that Tenzin had forgotten the lessons he learned when he visited the other world.

A series of footsteps could be heard and moments later Korra, along with the kids, entered the study. "What happened here Dad? Did you have a party without us?" Meelo asked jumping on top of his dad, nearly causing the man to tumble-down again.

"How come everyone's in Daddy's study? No one's supposed to come in here, but him!" Ikki declared while Jinora told her sister to be quite for a little bit. Korra looked at the damage then her soul mates eyes. They had silent conversation before she turned around, heading for the pavilion with Kilchii right behind her, after depositing the baby into Ikki's arms. Their surprised departure had the entire family wondering what was going on.

On the pavilion Korra turned to him, rocking on her heels she turned her head sideways and asked, "How long? What were they about this time?"

"I'm not sure. For the past week I haven't gotten a good night's sleep. I assumed it was part of the stress with learning about my new role and practicing with Varuna," he admitted to her. Fumbling with his colorful belt his eyes peered across the bay to the open sea. "Last night, was the first time I recall vividly what I was dreaming. In the dream I was strapped down surrounded by shadows. I heard voices talking about me as I called out to someone else strapped down being wheeled away. Then it goes black and I find Pema treating me like a child."

Korra flipped one strand behind her head smiling. Pema certainly acted like everyone's mother. She was the most capable woman on Air Temple Island. Korra then turned away leaning against the pavilion rail. "I had a dream, I think last night. It seemed more like a forgotten memory," she whispered. Her hands gripped the rail tightly as she explained her dream. "I'm not sure what it means and Raava refuses to talk to me about it. I woke this morning with a pressure on my heart. It was as if…"

"A heavy wind was holding you in place waiting for your heart to explode?" Kilchii finished surprising Korra. The two protectors knew what this meant. If they were having dreams, more precisely visions, then it was time to call in for help. It seemed Amaterasu had been right to worry about an individual misusing airbending.

* * *

It was barely pass ten when Aqualad's bracelet started to glow and beep. Staring in disbelief he headed into his room for privacy before pressing the purple stone. The stone shimmered then projected a mini viewing portal showing him an anxious couple. "Kilchii, Korra, it's good to see you again. I really wish we could talk, but I have to prepare for the team's arrival."

"Kal, you need to make the _time. _Something big is happening here and we might need some help from the team," Kilchii interjected. His green-blue eye's bore into Kaldur's pleading with him to understand the severity of the situation.

"As reserve members of Young Justice aren't you obligated to at least listen to what we discovered?" Korra asked. She was right, both Red Arrow and Avatar had been listed as reserve members of the team and it was Aqualad's obligation to listen to what they had to say.

"You're right my friends. Pardon my manners. Please update me about your situation," he said. He listened patiently, his eyebrows rising when he heard about the new airbenders. As they talked, the couple explained while Lin and Mako searched for the airbending man, three acolytes and one of the White Lotus members on the island, had started to airbend. Kya was in the radio room trying to contact the other air temples to find out if other Acolytes or the children were airbending.

"With so many new airbenders, I can see why you would find it overwhelming. Finding and protecting them is a top priority. Still, I sense you're holding back something. What was the _real motivation _for this call?" The young Atlantean asked. He could feel the energy surging in his tattoos begging to be used. He kept his powers contained reminding himself he could release his tensions in a few minutes.

"We suspect, no, we _know_ someone out there is misusing airbending. Amaterasu appeared greatly troubled when she visited. If she's scared to admit she can't track an airbender or know their intentions, then you know someone's causing trouble," Korra pointed out. Her hands went around her water droplet necklace. Both boys watched as she struggled to read the spiritual energy in the air. "I sense a strong, powerful wind. This one is building up for something major."

"Just like my beloved King can read the waves, I understand you're reasoning. This is a mission we can't ignore. Yet it presents a challenge for us," he admitted. Turning to his holo computer he brought up the profiles of every young hero. "As you can see our team is not as strong as before, especially not now."

The Spirit's Champion quickly read the information. Rocket and Magician _Woman _had recently joined the Justice League. Superboy, Miss Martian, along with Sphere and the animals, were currently on a mission on Mars, trying to track down an individual that the government said was enhanced with strange tech.

Tigress and Kid Flash, no Artemis and Wally, had made it into Stanford and were studying hard for some upcoming tests. They couldn't pull them out of reserve status. Aqualad's Atlantean friends had duties to the Queen and Prince, so they were no good. Batgirl was currently on the other side of the country with her father trying to help her brother recover from his demons. Nightwing was somewhere in Asia learning from the legendary True Master, making him unavailable.

"So none of our friends can help, not even you," Kilchii asked for clarification. Aqualad nodded unhappily. "Kaldur, we seriously need help. I know that the bulk of the team is struggling under the pressure, but they can help us." He gave him a pleading look practically begging for help. It was not a pretty sight to be hold making Kaldur feel more guilty.

"Yeah, it would be great to make new friends, plus maybe Roy would like to come and visit? Kilchii and he haven't talked in a few days. He won't admit it, but he's worried."

Aqualad bit his lip weighing his options. Finally, he agreed to talk to members of the League and put Young Justice to the test. He contact them again in a few hours his time. Delighted, the couple thanked him before the connection ended. Praying to Poseidon, he hoped that he could keep his promise to his friends.

* * *

When the members of Young Justice arrived, they were very surprised to see not only Aqualad, but four members of the League waiting for them. Flamebird was nervous seeing her mentor standing there. Robin II was trying to figure out the reason the old den mother Red Tornado was here and while Bumble Bee and Wonder Girl were super excited to see Magician Woman and Rocket. Black Canary cleared her throat causing everyone to come to attention.

"Good, I have your attention. As of an hour ago, Young Justice received a distress call from two reserve members asking for assistance. These two members were Avatar and Red Arrow, who as you know live in another reality," Black Canary stated, as she calmly strolled in front of them. Intercepting a protest she rounded out and stared down Robin II preventing an interruption.

"As part of the Young Justice charter, we agreed to aid any and all members; including past, present, and reserve members as well. Avatar was a great catalyst in preventing a long-term plan that would have greatly weakened the League and Earths defense," she spoke tightly staring down each and every one of them. "Now, according to my I mean Red Arrow their world has greatly changed in the month since we departed their time."

Red Tornado stepped forth as Magician Woman and Rocket started handing out copies of dossiers and historical knowledge of the Avatar World. "Ever since the Air Nomad genocide a hundred and seventy one years ago, airbending was reduce to five benders. They are Avatar Aang's son Tenzin and three of his four children, (so far), and Korra. Now due to our actions during Harmonic Convergence, non-benders from all five nations are waking up changed by spirit winds into Air Nomads. These new benders will need protection as well as teachers as they become use to their power."

As the team finished reading the information Magician Woman was setting a simulation up with Rocket. It was the latter who continued the speech. "Don't relax your guard just yet. This mission isn't just about being a protection detail, but also being serious opponents to help aid Team Avatar. According to, her and the Guardian Spirit of the Air Nomads Amaterasu, one individual is misusing his bending. One airbender is more than enough to bring about chaos and danger with their newly acquired power."

The training room suddenly shifted around them becoming a replica of the tunnels under Republic City, complete with a full Equalists camp with chi blockers and people carrying electro glove weapons. "This is a simulation created by Korra when she was training with us during her three month stay. If you're to succeed in your mission you have to be able to work together to conquer people, whether they have bending, weapons, or just their fists," Magician Woman explained.

"The simulation will change after a ten minute period. The entire simulation will last at least forty five minutes. In order to take on this mission; not only do you need teamwork, but endurance. A high enough performance will indicate you're ready for this mission, if not, then we'll have to call in the older members to assist, which is not convenient for anyone," Black Canary finished up. The Young Justice team nodded knowing this was not a simulation they could screw up on.

After getting a few more instructions and tips from the five elder heroes, the team, under Arsenal's command, got ready to take on the simulation. As Black Canary stepped out of the simulation it came alive. The team were hidden behind a garage door as the Equalists prepared for a surprise attack. It was up to them to stop the attack from happening.

"All right, this is going to be fun! I say we go in there and just knock some heads together," Wonder Girl said eagerly. She rubbed her hands together, the anticipation of battle was seen clearly on her face. Bumble Bee took grabbed her wrist in hopes of preventing the girl from rushing off.

"Calm down girl, we need to think this through. I thought Wonder Woman taught you some strategies on how not to be caught by the enemy," she hissed. She turned to Arsenal, who was making some quick adjustments to his prosthetic to ensure it didn't lock up. "What's the plan?"

"We need more information on their plans to prevent an attack. Bumble Bee and Robin, you sneak in there and see what you can learn. Static, Wonder Girl, and I will be the first line of attack. Guardian and Flamebird, I need you on point."

"Come one, why should I be on point? Their chi blockers could take away your powers in a single strike. At the very least I could keep up with them," Flamebird protested. Arsenal glared at her and told her to fall in line with the plan. If she was needed then he would call her forth. Under his breath he wondered how hard this was on him.

The plan went perfectly with only a few snafus. They did manage to stop the Equalists, but Static ended up nearly blowing everything up with all his supercharged static blasts. In the next scenario against the Triads Guardian fumbled a bit as he underestimated his suits bioamplification causing a few members to go to the hospital. Dealing with Unalaq and the spirits had everyone in trouble, barely pulling off a perfect team attack to win. The final simulation of fighting airbenders was the hardest as the winds and pressure made it difficult to move. Many of them lost their footing shouting insults at each other, until Robin managed to disable to airbender. As the simulation ended they all were tired, beaten up and worried about their assessment.

* * *

The older heroes looked at each other discussing the simulation. Each member of Young Justice had shown great skill and ability. The tensions had, for the most part, faded away into team cooperation. Still, they had more than a few problems when it came handling Avatar World opponents and communication between members needed serious work. In the end, they had lasted the entire simulation and scored high.

"Red Tornado, will go about preparing for their departure. Zantana, Raquel, if you would be so kind to come up with a cover story for their absences? Can I count on you to debrief the team Black Canary? I will speak to Korra telling her about their arrival. Hopefully, Young Justice can find a way to really work with Team Avatar. Pray to Poseidon this works," Aqualad instructed everyone as he got to activate his portal call. Things were about to get interesting.

About twenty minutes later everything was ready to go. Each member was in their civilian clothes and had a large backpack with supplies; a mini satellite to make their communicators work, civilian style clothing, and fully stocked medical kits with specialized equipment. Since the bioship was currently being used by Miss Martian and Superboy, the team once in Avatar World needed to rely on transportation of the vehicles available. News that they would have travel using airships, flying bison and Satomobiles wasn't well received, but no one protested.

Red Tornado walked into the room with the box that contained a single bracelet inside. This would be used to create a portal large enough for all of them to crossover. In order to return Arsenal, who was the only member with a bracelet of his own, would have to activate the return portal. Aqualad signaled to the android to wait a minute. He addressed the team one last time. "Team there is something I need to say before you go. This mission is not just about helping my friends, but it's also a chance for you to show the League that you've finally grown into your roles as young heroes. Respect, honor, and cooperate with Korra and the authority figures. Make friends with her and the others. Help her world find balance while letting go of your petty disagreements." He straightened up, his entire body projecting his confidence and belief in them. "I believe in you. Don't disappoint me."

"Trust me Kaldur, there's no chance of that happening," Roy replied, his light tone didn't match his expression. He looked a bit angry, but it was too late to question it. Red Tornado used the bracelet to open the portal. One by one they all stepped through as the portal closed with a snap. The five heroes looked at one another hoping this hadn't been a mistake.

* * *

Korra was waiting outside in the plaza along with the others. It had been two days since she contacted Aqualad, and after narrowly avoiding banishment from the city, she was eager to get started on searching for airbenders in the Earth Kingdom. "I hope they get here soon. Oh I'm nervous. I've never met any of these new members before. What if they don't like me?"

Jinora squeezed her hand. Looking up at her she smiled. "How could anyone of them not like you? You're part of the same team. I'm sure all of you will be friends in no time." Just then her sister and brother started jumping up and down pointing as a ringed portal started to form. There was a flash of light and when it dissipated standing there were seven heroes.

Ikki and Meelo created air scooters eager to meet these new heroes only to be stopped by their father who canceled the scooters. Seeing their annoyed expression he simply stated. "I believe that Korra and Kilchii should be the ones to greet them. Remember, our knowledge of their language is limited." It was true, after their one day visit to the Young Justice world, much of the knowledge downloaded into their minds had been erased.

Kilchii reached them first. He turned to his brother holding out his right hand and spoke in English. "It's great to see you again Roy. I was starting to wonder if something happened to you when you didn't answer my calls." Roy just glared at him refusing to take his hands startling the younger twin. "Is something wrong?"

"No, nothing's _wrong. _I just have a lot on my mind now," Roy replied with a snap causing further confusion. What was going on here?

Korra deliberately ignored what was going on with the brothers and spoke to the rest of the group. "It's great to finally meet you all. I've heard a lot about each of you. I have to say you look pretty impressive," she said spreading her arms wide to encompass the group.

"Thanks home girl. Nice to know Kaldur wasn't kidding when he talked about how nice you are. So, BC mentioned something about you using something called spiritenergy bend on us, you know to help us with the language barrier and such?" Virgil mentioned, he was running his hands through his dreadlocks. He looked out at the city whistling softly. He sure wasn't in Dakota anymore.

Next to him Mal was looking behind Korra at the others. Seeing Lin scowling at him sent a shiver down his spine. She looked scary. "Why is that lady looking like she wants to chain us up and throw the key away?"

Surprised by his question, Korra looked behind her giving her own scowled look at Lin before returning her attention to new heroes. "Sorry, Lin doesn't really like heroes in general. To answer your question Virgil, yes I have to energybend knowledge on each of you one by one. It won't hurt I promise."

Jason snorted and stuck his tongue out at her. "Yeah, we really trust the person who couldn't avoid messing with Kid Flash and Superboy's genetics. Are you really sure we should trust you?" Roy smacked him upside the head only for Cassie to grab his arm and twist it. An all-out fight was about break out when the ground beneath their feet began to quake.

"That's enough from all of you," Korra barked. She stared at all of them frowning. "I understand that we don't really know each other and it's going to take time to learn to get along. Could you please not fight in front of the adults?" She asked waving her hands behind her to said adults. All of them were whispering and the children and brothers started looking at them funny. Ashamed, the others nodded each letting her energybend them. Only when she did Jason, did something happen.

As she was energybending, her eyes stopped glowing white and changed to blue. Her vision shifted as she watched his life energy grow until it was cut, then reappeared changed into something dark. At the same time, Jason had a vision of two paths, one he could hear maniac laughing and a toxic smell. The other path there was a red spirit mask and a blue astral projection of himself dressed up differently. As they broke apart both teens looked at one another puzzled, but said nothing. Instead they followed Korra to meet the others just as Asami arrived with the airship.

* * *

Betty let out a whistle as she saw the ship anchor itself to the island. "Now that's a dirigible. Reminds me of the luxury airships from the early 20th century. These types of airships were responsible for the Allied Nations in both World Wars. There have been serious talks about giving airships another chance to shine, but for now it's up in air because of the numbers." Karen and Cassie looked at her with astonishment which she shrugged off. "I'm a Kane, we know this kind of stuff."

Asami had exited the craft, listening to Betty little history anecdote "Seems we have some things in common. Care to introduce yourselves?" The heiress strolled over to her boyfriend giving him a quick kiss. Mako blushed slightly before turning to his attention to the group. Kilchii's brother, no _originator, _was handling the greetings along with his fraternal "twin" who seemed upset by the way the original was treating him.

Kilchii made a sweeping gesture as he pointed to each person assembled. He gave out their names, a brief explanation of who they were and what they could do, and how they were all part of Team Avatar only for Roy, to cut in saying they knew that already from the information given to them. Incredibly, he simply started introducing each member of the team by real, code, mentors, and abilities.

Ikki was the first to react, she grabbed Cassie's hand tugging at her. "Can you really fly? What's it like being a demigoddess? Does that mean you're part spirit too?"

Meelo sprinted over to Betty. "You're very pretty. I think you're even prettier than Asami! Why's your hair gold?"

Bolin strolled over to Mal and Virgil. "So you guys are the powerhouses of the team right? My brother can shoot lightning, but he can't make metal fly," he told Virgil before spinning around admiring Mal's armor. "You're armor it's pretty cool. I've never seen anything like it before. What's it made of?"

"Something you've never heard about before softie," Jason snorted. He gave a challenging look towards Mako who had a frown on his face. "What? You really expect me to be nice to your brother? For a street kid, he's not hard enough. I bet if you hadn't been with him the whole time, he be in the morgue."

"Hey watch your mouth! I ought to…"

Lin bent some rocks trapping everyone in earth up to their necks save Roy. He ordered the team to stand down and stop making fools of themselves. "We've only been here for fifteen minutes and already you're making us look bad. So cut the c*** and behave."

Once that was settled, it was time to see who would be doing what. Lin was going back to the police station to follow up on the new task force searching for airbenders in the United Nations. Kya, Pema, and her youngest would stay on the island to help train the new airbenders who came along. Pema promised Tenzin that as soon as everything was ready up north she send word to the other Temples to start heading there. While most of the others were going on the airship Korra, along with the twins, Roy agreed that it would be best if some members of Young Justice remained as guards encase that dark wind came this way.

"Don't worry, we'll handle it. I'm sure that anyone who wants a fight, will think twice upon coming up a normal, amplifier, and a meta," Betty said, pointing to Mal and Cassie who agreed to stay. The terms she used described what type of hero they were. A normal had no power, an amplifier's suit or weapons granted those gifts, and a meta was someone who had a power inside of them. A mix of all three was a good way to confuse an enemy while taking advantage of their mixed skills.

"I guess we'll go with Team Avatar. Something tells me that Tenzin wouldn't know how to inspire a gold fish to follow him," Karen laughed at her joke earning some giggles from the others. "I'm still a Bumble Bee. Between my flair and Bumi's tactics, this is in the bag."

Tenzin did his best to ignore the comment, but it was hard when Virgil did an impersonation of him. Jason just rolled his eyes carrying their luggage on to the air ship and into their cabins. As they all climbed aboard once again there was a bit of hostility from Roy, who in an angry voice stated he didn't want to bunk with Kilchii. It was going to be a long ride through the Earth Kingdom. As Asami steered their ship to their first airbender recruit, Korra and the rest of Team Avatar wondered if this mission was off on a good start.

* * *

A speedboat was making its way through the ocean towards a wooden platform. A single member of the White Lotus was driving it. The watchtower saw the boat not noticing anything out of the ordinary except for the fact the boat was two days early. Several sentries rushed out of the tower lining up against the rail. In the center of the platform, a man was kept in a small box cell. The man had long black hair and a mustache. Judging by his clothes he was of the Earth Kingdom. He glanced out of the lattice structure also curious about this boat.

Just beyond the telescopes range, Zaheer removed his hood, before jiggling a few switches to keep the boat on its present course. Walking to the back of the boat, he pulled a tarp off revealing two members of the OWL, each had several stab wounds as their skin paled. "Gentleman, I thank you for the service you're about to provide. As Guru Langham once said, air is essential to freedom and that freedom should be given to all who need it, regardless of nation."

"Just what do you think you're going to accomplish Zaheer? The other members won't allow you to free Ghazan!" one of them barked before falling back down. The other member tried to bend water, but the new airbender stepped on his wrist breaking it. "AAAAAAAAAAAAHH!"

The prison was getting closer as the boat's speed increased. Just a mile short of the prison Zaheer started to wave his hands around and around above his head. The boat started circling just as the two bloody OWL members were flung into the water. The current created by the boat tossed them about as the motor further cut them causing the blood to spread faster. A calm expression was on Zaheer's face as more than a dozen sharks appeared attracted by the blood.

Ghazan watched from his prison a smirk forming on his face. Only Zaheer would think of something like this to get him out and take down the OWL at the same time. The shark filled water-spout, (sharknado!) hit the wooden platform with full force. Many of the OWL sentries got swept off as the shark's teeth dug into them. Others managed to hold on bending fire and water back at Zaheer, but he was too fast bouncing off of the platform, dropping three rocks into his prison.

"Finally, some action," Ghazan muttered. He focused on the rocks as he phase changed them into lava shrunken. He soon was free using his lava bending to strike down several members before demolishing the watchtowers and splicing two support beams threatening to send the prison into the water.

"Thanks for the assist Zaheer, so what's with the airbending?" The earthbender asked in the midst of all the destruction going on around him. He lazy looked down to see the motorboat still attached and ready for use.

"A humble gift bestowed upon me, by the Guardian Spirit Amaterasu herself. She must find our cause worthy to grant me these blessed abilities." Zaheer turned towards a flaming watchtower. Creating a cross breeze the flames went out as a few parchments of paper floated down where Ghazan snatched them up.

"This is what we need to free Ming Hua from her dark void. It's about three days away. You think your airbending could speed up the process?" The airbenders response was to create an incredible burst of wind causing them to zoom across the ocean at max speed.

* * *

Two days later in a volcanic prison, Ming Hua opened her eyes and looked up trying to peer through the smoke filled opening. Shifting her body, the armless waterbender counted the guards on the metal platforms. There were twice the number than before. Swishing her hair behind her head she scooted on her knees. "Today is the day," she whispered. Deep inside her she could feel the Ocean Spirit La calling out to her soul. She knew she would be free finally.

The sentries were on alert having heard from a single survivor from each of the breakouts, the sentry that fell only to land on an outcropping and another who avoided being eaten, had alerted the volcano prison to be on the lookout for trouble. They were taking no chances of Ming Hua escaping. They were certain with the doubling of the sentries they could contain the terrorist.

Suddenly the volcano started to shake and tremble as the magma below started to spray burning through several of the lower platforms making them dangle. Jumping in from the top, Zaheer used his bending to keep the guards at bay as Ghazan summoned a piece of superheated rock to slice open the barrel he'd been carrying. Five gallons of water rained down, as Ming Hua called it towards her, forming her deadly prostheses. "My turn now!"

Spinning around her brazenly cut through the bars before shooting several tendrils of water upward snagging a platform as she pulled herself up. Two OWL members came at her from either sides. Creating ice scythe on the side she hooked them before tossing them over the edge. Racing up the metal platforms she formed her limbs into a single high pressure drill burrowing her way through the opposition. A platform made of floating rock appeared to her left as she jumped on. "Took you long enough Ghazan. I was about to go crazy down there."

Ghazan laughed saying she still had her sharp sense of humor. Zaheer ignored them as he used his airbending to cover them in smoke camouflage disappearing from the surviving members. He was determined to save his beloved P'Li from the Northern Water Tribe while destroying it completely. Noticing his seriousness the other two members started thinking of way to help P'Li escape.

Hours later Lord Zuko and his dragon Druk arrived at the prison. Taking a survey of the damage, his old heart started increasing its beat. Druk took a sniff and hissed, not happy about what he smelled. Turning to one of the remaining sentries Lord Zuko demanded to know what happened.

"Sir, it was Ghazan and Zaheer. Somehow Zaheer has gained airbending and it's made him very difficult to pin down. I swear by my own two eyes he was acting like a master of the art. Thirteen years have not dulled Ming Hua or Ghazan's abilities. In fact I think they're ever strong now."

Zuko held his chin pondering this. "This very bad, Zaheer is determined to finish whatever his terrorist plot was thirteen years ago. Call Chief Desna and Ambassador Eska to alert them to the danger. Then contact Lin Beifong to warn her. What are you waiting for, do it!" he yelled sending the sentry scurrying. Surprisingly agile for his age, Zuko hopped on Druk before taking off towards the Northern Water Tribe, praying he wouldn't be too late.

* * *

A few days had passed on the airship with no results to show for Tenzin and Team Avatar's efforts to gain recruits from the Earth Kingdom. Tenzin, Jinora, Korra and Bumi had made the first attempt with a farmer named Kuon over dinner. Karen, Jason, and Bolin had snuck off to watch "Recruiter Tenzin" launch into a speech how Kuon would have to give up everything he knew to become an Air Nomad. To say it didn't go well was an understatement. The other attempts weren't any more successful.

Even though they hadn't been successful with recruiting anyone so far, a lot of progress was made between the two groups. The tension had gone way down as they got to know one another, more importantly, YJ was learning to trust and appreciate their team members. Friendships were fast forming as the Young Justice members helped with the mission. Karen would communicate with Betty creating a list of new airbenders with all their background data to keep track of everyone. Virgil was having fun hanging out with Bolin while they took turns caring for Naga and her family. Jason had bonded well with Bumi as they practiced their knife throwing together while Roy tried to help Tenzin with details pertaining to their trip.

At the moment everyone was chilling. Asami was stuck piloting the ship so Mako decided to join her to keep her company. He was still a little guarded about his girlfriend keeping close to her to prevent the other boys from flirting with her. Not that he should have been worried in the slightest anyways. "Hey, you doing okay up here?" he asked kissing her on the cheek. She moved her head so slightly so he could nuzzle her neck. "Those kids are giving you respect?"

Her cyan eyes flashed. "Mako, don't talk badly about these new members of Young Justice. From what I can see they're good people. I admit they're a bit rough around the edges, but they're still learning. Besides, I like Karen a lot. She's pretty smart."

Mako looked like he wanted to argue with her, but wisely kept his mouth shut. Opening the door a little he listened the conversation. "I don't understand. Why is everyone turning their backs on the gifts they had been blessed with? Can't they see the winds chose them for a reason?" the airbending master asked rhetorically. Jinora stopped playing with the spirits and pups giving her father a puzzled look. "Did you mention any of that to them? Perhaps they don't understand what you're trying to tell them?"

Tenzin looked flabbergasted at that statement. "How couldn't they understand what I was saying? I explained that now they've inherited airbending, they should be able to connect with the Air Nomads. All their wonderful traditions of no attachment, spiritual enlightenment, and the clothes and…"

"Blah blah blah. Yo Tenzin, no bodies going to listen to you preaching to the choir if you don't sell it a bit more," Virgil interrupt. Leaning forward on the couch he started to create a ball of electricity in his hands. "Don't get me wrong homme. I'm straight up with you when it comes to personal heritage, but try to focus on the fun and not the bore."

While some of Team Avatar tried to piece together what he was saying Karen spelled it out. "Virgil, in his own way is saying, that you're not inspiring anyone. When I was a cheerleader, it was my duty not only to dazzle the crowd, but put on a show so they would stay for more. Your act needs spicing up badly."

"I agree with that," Korra butted in. Tenzin looked hurt, but everyone else seemed on board, especially when Bolin, Bumi, and others started to make suggestions. At this point he was willing to try anything to gain a recruit. Before he could agree though Roy stood up whistling hard. The teen heroes had their heads bowed while Korra and Kilchii waited to hear what he had to say.

"Got your attention, good. Now, I think some of you have forgotten we're on a mission here. The cold wind that Korra and _Kilchii,"_ his eyes narrowing at his brother as he turned around nearly stepping on his foot. "Talked about, has yet to be tracked down. Remember, this is not only a chance to find airbenders, but help us prevent bad ones from getting a chance to strike. Bumble Bee, you'll join the performance, but keep you're suit on underneath. Static, Robin II, and I will patrol the audience looking for signs of trouble. You need to be ready to act in milliseconds if trouble pops up. Think you can handle that?"

The team nodded as both reserve members confirmed their friends that they would be on their guard at all times. Bumi side glanced at Bum Jun who twitched in a sad gesture before they both looked at Tenzin. He seemed busy at the moment. Hopefully Bumi could get him alone to ask for his help in figuring out the underlying problem between the twin brothers.

* * *

They had landed in the next town drawing a crowd thanks in big part to Bumble Bee doing her old cheerleader routine. "Give me A, give me I, give me a big old R! Then add a little bending to the end, what does that spell? AIRBENDING!" She shouted as she performed three handsprings before doing a backflip then doing the splits. Her routine gathered a lot of attention.

"Hello everyone and welcome to the airbending show! Prepare to be astonished by the impressive techniques. If you're a new airbender, after this demonstration, you'll be begging to join us on our quest!" Bolin, who was acting as their barker, addressed the crowd. That was Tenzin and Jinora's cue to show some advance techniques to draw the crowd in.

Watching from the ramp Red Arrow smiled as he watched Jinora performing airbending master level techniques. She was performing the air cocoon around her body as Bolin bent some rocks at her only for them to be sent flying down the cliff side. Stopping that she finished with using her staff to help perform the air blades technique to slice a tower of rocks in half. "Good showmanship Jinora!" he called out clapping his hands at her.

Korra studied Jinora noting how much stronger and in control she looked. Combined with her highly spiritual nature and memory of all things Air Nomad, she secretly thought she should have been given her arrows a while ago. Suddenly Korra felt something in energy web. "There's an unidentified airbender in the crowd. I feel it," she whispered to her companion. Red Arrow asked if she was sure. She nodded so he contacted the boys telling them to search the crowd and isolate the airbender.

The boys received the word touching base with each other. Arsenal was in the back of the crowd as Static and Robin II moved in from the sides. Knowing the show was going to be over soon, they needed to move fast. Arsenal touched his comlink. "We need a way to isolate who's the airbender. Static, Robin II any ideas?"

Static tapped his chin for a second then snapped his fingers. "I bet I can use my powers to check everyone's electric aura, if someone just awakened airbending than I should be able to spot them in the crowd," he replied. He proceeded to build up his power before dispersing among the crowd. For a few minutes everyone's aura was visible.

A voice crackled over the com. "Got him, he' a kid about Jinora's age. He's carrying a lot of gold," Robin II reported. As he shadowed the boy his training kicked in alongside his street skills. Just by the way he walked and the flicker of his eyes told Robin II that the kid was not only a street thief, specializing in pickpocketing, he preferred stealth to causing a scene. He also was a great liar if his eyes were any indication. When the boy ran to Team Avatar he signaled the others to hide.

Out of the corner of her eye Korra saw Karen give her a slight gesture with her hand, drawing a smile in the air before slashing through it. Korra raised a single brow. That was the sign for liar. While the others believed what Kai was telling them, she was on the lookout for signs of people approaching the ship. She didn't have to wait long.

* * *

Two minutes later six men on Satocycles were making their way towards the airship. They came to a stop a few feet from the air ship. Before the man in charge, the sheriff, could issue his warrant, Bolin and Bumi, acted on instinct, bending up a wall of swirling earth preventing them from moving closer. "Ah you're…making a mistake! Just listen… ah cough cough to us!"

While Tenzin and Mako tried to get their siblings to stop, Kai slipped from Red Arrow's grasp and started running off in a different direction. Before he could chase after him, Young Justice swooped in to offer their assist. It was there time to shine by showing a little teamwork.

Kai kept running, using his new airbending, to increase his speed, when a bright red beam of energy cut the path in front of him stopping the thief in his tracks. He turned the other way when a voice said out of nowhere, "Where do you think you're going thief?" Suddenly he felt someone's hands on the collar of his shirt. He gasped as he rose through the air he twisted around to see who had him.

His jaw dropped as a dark-skinned girl in a black and yellow skin-tight outfit with bug wings flew in the air back towards the airship. She was soon joined by a boy in black with a dark blue jacket riding a disk of metal came up to her side. "Hey girl, is it okay if I take your bag for you?"

"Sure, it clashes with my outfit," Bumble Bee laughed. She snagged the bag from Kai's arm and tossed it to Static who used his electricity on the precious metals inside as he levitate the bag to the sheriff. Bumble Bee dropped Kai the last few feet as a bolo wrapped around him pinning his limbs to his side. Faster than the eye could see the boy was suddenly cuffed with plastic along with his legs, and an inhibitor collar around his neck. All Kai could do is stare up as the Avatar approached the men.

She bowed slightly doing a Water Tribe greetings. "I apologize for the attack on you sheriff. My comrades had no idea that the boy was a liar and a thief. I hope that no one was hurt."

The sheriff was about to ask how she knew that when Red Arrow stood next to her displaying his mark. Of course the host for the Spirit of Justice and Reason would know the truth. Pulling Kai up to his feet he shoved him over to Mako and Asami. No need to tell them to keep an eye on the boy.

"As we understand, Kai here committed a series of crime against his adoptive family and you and your men. I humbly ask that you release him into our custody," Red Arrow said, the slight patterns of Varuna appearing on his body. He pointed to the boy while gesturing to each member of the group before continuing to speak. "I promise sheriff, the juvenile will get what justice demands and turn him into a model citizen."

The sheriff agreed, taking his men with him. The rest of Young Justice joined Avatar and Red Arrow to discuss how Kai should travel and what his punishments would be. Bolin and Jinora initially protested but a look from their family members told them to be quiet.

The group spoke in hushed tones to avoid being eavesdropped on by Kai. It was Red Arrow who brought up the main point. "We have an eleven year old delinquent whose crimes range from theft to evading arrest for six months. Any decent children court judge would demand some time in juvi, along with mandatory community service and counseling. Do you agree?" Then all nodded, now the question was how to carry that out.

Robin II spoke up first. "He's a street kid first, thief second, and lastly a kid. I know him better than any of you. Growing up in Crime Ally either kills you or makes you stronger. He's not going to accept any authority figure. If we're nice to him he'll walk all over us. He needs a lot of tough love."

"Agreed, we can provide that, along with the therapy and community service, but what about punishment?" Static brought up. They discussed that and a few other things for a few moments before coming to a consensus. They walked back to the others signaling them to get back on the ship. Once it took off and everyone was seated it was up to Korra and the twins to explain the details.

"Kai, you should consider yourself lucky. If caught by anyone else you'd be doing a long stretch in jail, but as the Avatar, under the advice of my friends, have agreed to give you a second chance."

"That's great! So can you untie me please? I promise to cause no more trouble," He pleaded with his puppy eye look, only for Roy to stare him down until he was quiet. "Your previous actions have demonstrated a lack of personal responsibility, maturity, not to mention trust. As of now you have no rights or privileges until you prove yourself worthy of them."

Kilchii showed his mark again imposing on the boy the importance of this. "For now you will travel with your wrist in cuffs and inhibitor collar around your neck to prevent you from stealing or escaping," He tossed the remote over to Mako, the boy's new parole officer. "The only time those come off is during training with Master Tenzin, who is acting as your temporary guardian. Anything you do to him will result in further punishment."

Korra counted on her fingers what Kai didn't have the right to move around freely, leave the airship unattended, or be unsupervised. He would also not be getting the best of everything, instead having to earn privileges, like a real bed and being able to take care of Naga and the pups. If he misbehaved or broke a rule he be shut in his room for an hour having to write an apology letter."

"Don't look so downcast kid. You still get some nice things out of the deal. You'll get an overall education with Karen and Virgil. Jason and Bolin will get to be your "big brothers" to show you how to behave and learn some manners. Jinora and Bumi are going to be you're therapists. The rest of us will take turns training with you. Sooner than you think you'll be a free man, with your record sealed," Roy finished. Kai wasn't happy at all, but in the end had no choice but to accept. Now that they had a recruit it was time to head to Ba Sing Sa.


	3. Dangerous Downdrafts

_Note to everyone. Yes, the fourth and final season of Korra starts playing online tomorrow, yes there will be a crossover. But remember I will need time to come up with a plot and figure out how to make this work, because of the time skip in Korra, my original plans are now null. You may have to wait until next year to get the final crossover. Sorry. _

* * *

In the Northern Water Tribe a group of powerful benders awaited topside of the secret underground ice prison. Upon learning from Lord Zuko about the prison and P'Li, Desna and Eska had joined their uncle and the old firebender to keep her from escaping. They had read some of the reports about the other breakouts and they would not let that happen here.

Zuko was on the back of Druk trying to peer through the blinding snow. It was very ironic that the same place he'd once dragged Avatar Aang to hide during the Battle of the Northern Water Tribe, was now the same place he was attempting to keep criminals away from. Druk suddenly bulked, growling loudly as smoke started to come out of his mouth. "Easy my old friend. What do you see?" In response the dragon fired a large fireball that burned the snow away long enough for him to spot a truck brazenly making its way to the prison.

"Zaheer! Druk down, we need to warn the others!" The large red beast obeyed his command flying down towards the ground where the others awaited. He called out a warning just as a powerful downdraft shoved both rider and dragon to the ground as they landed in a painful heap. Zuko struggled and wiggled managing to get out from under his dragon's back. A super-heated shrunken was flying at his head, only ending up blocked by a multilayered ice ball in midair.

Tonraq stood tall and proud as his eyes narrowed on Zaheer. Despite his disheveled appearance, he recognized the look in his eyes. It was the same one Unalaq had when nothing would stop him from carrying out his goals, no matter the consequences for everyone else. "Don't think just because you've gained airbending that you can defeat me. I defeated you once and I'll do it again before I let you hurt Korra!"

"Water is the element of change, but without the freedom of air, it will remain stagnant. Allow me to demonstrate," Zaheer stated calmly. Increasing the air around his body to protect him from the frigid cold and increase his speed he dodged several of Tonraq's water tentacles. Faster than the eye could see Zaheer was up an over a wall of rising snow. In the air he unleashed a powerful four air blasts from his limbs.

Tonraq changed the snow beneath his feet to ice as he skated away. He managed to avoid three of the four blasts, but got knockedseveral feet away heading for some ice. He phase changed the ice into snow to soften his fall. Standing up again he used a long range iceberg spikes in trying to pin down the agile Zaheer, but was unsuccessful. Gathering massive amounts around him Tonraq made his move creating high pressured water jets aiming to cripple the airbender so he wouldn't be a threat, but he kept staying out of reach preparing more dangerous airbending moves.

Across the tundra other battles were taking place. Druk had recovered from his fall. A steady stream of fire followed Ghazan trying to take him out. The lavabender used the dragon's own fire to reach down deep to bend up massive amounts of earth creating a massive wall of earth protecting him from the dragon's attack. With an intense expression around his face Ghazan compressed several bits of coal into one giant ball. With a casual flick of the wrist he sent the flaming rock at the dragon who caught it in his front paws, only to screech in pain as he dropped the flaming rock. It was even too hot for him to handle!

"What's the matter you overgrown lizard? Can't handle the heat?" Ghazan laughed. He created a rising column of earth, levitating the coal all around him as continued to attack the dragon with his lavabending and mix of highly advanced earthbending techniques. He was determined to keep this up until P'Li was back with them.

* * *

At that moment Ming-Hua was trying to do just that. She launched herself from the truck, sliding up and down the snow before striking out with her prosthesis to separate the twins. In turn, the twins were using every technique they'd been taught or developed themselves to try to subdue Ming-Hua. Eska created the octopus form striking hard and fast. She didn't even come close as Ming-Hua used her own waterbending to absorb the whips to create bigger and multiple arms. Desna started to manipulate the ice into steam to blind her, but the armless master used breath of ice smashing through the frozen steam.

"Pathetic! You're the best the Northern Tribe could offer? I can't believe how weak you are!" Ming-Hua taunted them. It was fun using her hooked arms to strike at the twins. No matter what the twins threw at her, ice bullets, claws, or even the high level technique two high pressured water rings Ming-Hua escaped tunneling into the snow letting the twins injure one another. Forgetting all about the royal pests, she made it down to the P'Li's prison.

Lord Zuko, who had been aiding Druk, spun around when he heard the cracking of ice and explosion of fire erupting from the frozen prison. As the twins struggled to their feet P'Li created a massive cloak of fire around herself causing her to look like a demon. "At last, I'm warm again!"

"Don't get use to it P'Li, you're going right back into your cell!" Lord Zuko shouted. Performing the Dancing Dragon he got in close and was able to send large fire streams at her. P'Li intercepted the attack using her own flames to block the attack before she took control of the sparks sending an enhanced fire whip at the master who had no choice, but to pull up a wall of fire. The combined force sent him skidding through the snow as he tried to keep proper breath control.

Ghazan and Zaheer used their bending to stay beside their female comrades each having their bending at the ready. The leaders of their respect nations huddled together with Druk's wings folded in a way to create a shield. After quickly kissing Zaheer, P'Li addressed the small group as power grew behind her third eye. "You fools thought you could stop us? Thirteen years have made you weak, but only strengthened us! It's time that you suffer for the indignity, helplessness, and painful years we suffered." She fired several combustion beams, the explosions damaging the environment, but more importantly sent them all in different directions.

Zaheer used in airbending to pull than trap the twins in midair. "With the blessings of our nations Guardian Spirits, finally we'll be able to complete the plan we had before your _father betrayed us!" _He tightened his hold on them restricting their movements to the point neither could move.

"What are you…talking...ab…out? Did you ahhhhh know our…father, ah cough?" Desna managed to speak. Even as their bodies got restricted more, he kept darting his eyes to his sister. She was starting to turn blue. He knew without a doubt his uncle, Lord Zuko, and Druk, wouldn't reach them in time as the two female special benders prepared attacks.

"It doesn't matter now, just know that Unalaq sealed the fate of the Northern Water Tribe and his children when he betrayed us. Know that your deaths will usher in a new era," P'Li whispered. She aimed and fired a combustion beam at the twins at the same time Ming-Hua attacked them with several ice hooked water lashes at them. A split second before it hit, Desna managed to call forth an ice shield.

Tonraq gasped in horror, as the bodies of his niece and nephew fell to the earth in a smoking ball, landing hard in the ice field that popped up. Enraged he moved to assist when Lord Zuko pulled him back pointing to the city in the distance. "I think we're about to find out what happens when a bender uses their stored up chi after being in prison for thirteen years." His Uncle Iroh once told him that a bender would go crazy if they didn't bend, for the call of the element would drive them insane. He also mentioned that a strong master level bender could store their chi while imprisoned, before unleashing it once free. His mismatched eyes watched in horror as the terrorist struck.

P'Li used remote fire from the city's lights along with her combustion to destroy the entire ice shelf over the city creating an avalanche that was remotely enhanced with larger chunks of ice and freezing water, soon joined by lava and coal in a large twister. The four directed the natural disaster throughout the city destroying it while taking minimal life. When it was all over only the Spirit Oasis remained untouched. Zaheer's team disappeared in a dust cloud as Tonraq sank to his knees in despair.

* * *

"It's gone, the Northern Water Tribe is gone," he whispered to himself. Lord Zuko shook him until he regained his senses. "The city can be rebuilt, for now we must concentrate on those who survived." Suddenly he still cocking his ear. He had super sharp ears that could hear well than the average person. Suddenly he started running as fast as his old body could take him to the fallen bodies of the Chief and Ambassador. Tonraq went after him as the dragon walked after him.

When they got to the twins Tonraq melted the ice spikes as he leaned down to examine his nephew and niece. He had to resist the urge to throw up when he looked upon Desna. The attack had disintegrated most of his clothes leaving him in a half destroyed tunic. He had a dozen of gaping wounds with ice daggers sticking out of him. The worst of the wounds was the burned skin on his chest. Even as Tonraq checked for a pulse, he knew he wouldn't find one because of the burn across Desna's neck severing the carotid artery. Chief Desna was dead.

Meanwhile Lord Zuko was checking Eska over. Ming-Hua's attacks had severed Eska's left leg at the knee and her right arm at the elbow. She also had damaged done to her jaw, it was partially fused together thanks to P'Li. Her body had other wounds, but she still had a pulse! Desna's last act was to protect his sister from death. "She's alive, but she needs a healer fast! Druk help me transport her now!" Gently, they carried her to Druk's back as they flew towards the city hoping that the healing huts still stood and they could help her. For a minute Eska woke up asking for her brother, when Tonraq replied to her question she moaned saying she couldn't hear him. Worried, they sped up praying she would live.

* * *

It was two days later aboard the airship, the travelers had no idea what had happened up north. Instead, they'd been preparing for their meeting with the Earth Queen. While Korra was in her cabin with the girls get primped out for her meeting with the Earth Queen, Kilchii and Roy were supervising airbending practice. Tenzin was explaining to Bumi the best way to perform an airbending kick.

"Remember to extend your limb to the fullest. Concentrate on forming compressed air and firing it at rapid succession. I'm sure someone with your training will pull this off easily," Tenzin prompted his brother.

Opposite of him Jinora was demonstrating to Kai how to form an air shield. "You have to circle the air around you as you continuously move around. Don't lose concentration or it will disappear." Kai looked at her twisting and twirling while getting a goo goo eyes at her. Drool started to fall from his face only to stop when he felt a slight electrical shock "OUCH!"

Virgil blew across his electric finger and gave him a sassy look. He was liking keeping Kai in line. "Hey, this is a sparring session, not a chance to check out the eye candy. Now, you better hold still and not try anything funny, because I'm certain that your parole officer would be more than happy to chase you down."

Mako walked over giving the boy a serious look as he carefully took off the plastic cuffs and deactivated the collar. "Don't do anything you might regret," he informed him slipping the remote into his pocket. Everyone save Static and Robin II backed up. Bumi sided up next to Kai.

"I want a clean spar. No moves that cripple or leave permanent damage. No cheating and especially no trying to _kill_ your opponent," Roy hissed at Robin II who just rolled his eyes. With a signal the spar was on. As both sides rushed at each other Kilchii whispered. "Why did you add that last part?" Roy glared at him and just responded he would see.

The match started out just fine. The two airbenders performed the moves they as they'd been shown, which helped them as the two members of the Young Justice had to dodge. That's when things got tougher. Static jumped off his disk sending it around them before releasing it like a boomerang.

Kai shoved Bumi away as he started to manipulate the air creating a current that sent the flying disk behind the air ship. In a panic Static used is electromagnetism to rip apart a section of rail and flew off after it leaving Robin II all alone. "Hah! So much for your backup!"

Robin II growled, "At least I didn't force my partner to the ground!" Seeing Bumi get up he fired his grappling line pulling himself over towards the top deck avoiding Bumi's air funnel projectiles of beans at him. Releasing the hook he angled his landing so he was doing a spinning double kick. Bumi managed to get out the way, but he landed a kick on Kai's jaw causing the boy to stumble back and have to use an air cushion to catch his fall.

Focusing his attention on Bumi, the ex commander and him started sparring in hand to hand combat. The old soldier stopped airbending and soon it was just their fists. Each of them matched move for move. Even when Robin II played dirty by doing a kick to the groin and undoing Bumi's pants, the general just laughed. They had just drawn weapons, his knives vs batarangs when Robin II sensed something behind him.

Dropping a smoke bomb he pulled Bumi to deck lying flat as air slice passed over them. Getting partially up he flung his batarangs as knives pinning Kai to the deck. Angrily he marched over and pulled the boy up getting ready to punch him. "How low do you have to go? Stabbing your enemy behind their backs is nothing short of cowardice! I ought to give you an a** kicking you little s***!"

"Enough!" Arsenal's voice called out as he tackled the boy to the ground. Red Arrow tried to pull his brother off the boy. Both Mako and Bolin were trying to help Kai out, in different ways. Bumi was asking what was going on when Tenzin blew everyone apart.

"Has everyone settled down now? Good, then I have a few things to say. Bumi, I'm impressed you managed to do a few of the moves I taught you, but you need to remain vigilant and use your bending more often. Kai, we don't fight as if we're thugs. Airbending is about spirituality and defense. As for you Mr. Rob (JASON!) I mean Jason. I will not tolerate your offensive manners in front of children. I see that you're too violent to participate in teaching spars. Mr. Harper agrees. No more fighting."

"Yeah, there's no reason for that, you really could have hurt Kai! I thought you we're supposed to be his big brother figure!" Bolin whispered. Kai gave Bolin an innocent look before adjusting his face so slightly so he was smirking and communicating silently he would have his revenge on Jason later. The former street rat gave him a dirty look before heading back to his room, warning them all they would regret this.

* * *

A few hours later they came within sight of Ba Sing Se. Bolin was super happy. Their father San had grown up here. Bolin was determined to visit his father's home with his Mako and their new "little brother" unaware that the others had different ideas of how to spend the day. Mako wanted nothing to do with the Lower Ring, instead he wanted to keep track of Kai, who was thinking of ways to con people out of their money and get away from this group.

As the airship came in for a landing, the members of Young Justice were getting help from Asami and Kilchii, so they could put on their "native" civilian clothes. It was a painful process. "Hold still, I need to adjust this so it hangs right," Asami was telling Karen. The girl's hair refused to be molded into a traditional _qitou _forcing Asami to make use with a simple head-piece. "I hope this is enough for the Upper Ring. We still have to apply the powder."

"Excuse me, I'm not going to cover my beautiful skin! I refuse to cower before a woman whose thinks she's better to everyone," Karen snapped. She was already sweltering under her elaborate green and gold trimmed dress. When they learned they had to go native, the team members had no idea how elaborate the process would be.

Kilchii's voice could be heard through the wall as he struggled to help Virgil with his robes and proper accessories. "I wouldn't want to get on Earth Queen Hou-Ting bad sid. Stop fidgeting would you Virgil it's supposed to look like that. Roy, can you help Jason out with his shoes? Thanks. Ugh, this is going to be a long day."

Asami giggled as she applied the make up to Karen's face. In reality, the only ones greeting the Earth Queen would be herself, Korra, Kilchii, Tenzin, and Karen. The boys were going to act as spies making their way through the rings to try to find information about the airbenders. Bumi and Bum Jun would act as the go between the two groups while guarding the air ship. Jinora and Kai were assigned grooming and bathing duty with Naga and her family, while the brothers kept an eye on them. Afterwards they could go check out their families stomping grounds in the Lower Ring.

"Is everyone ready? We don't want to be late for our meeting with the Earth Queen," Korra called out as she entered the dressing room. She was wearing her formal dress and had applied very light make up on. She had pulled her charm bracelet a bit higher so it would be hidden by her sleeves for some reason she didn't understand. "Wow, you guys clean up great!"

It was true, as they all looked extremely handsome with the proper attire. The boys wore a variety of fashions to show their rank, with varying lengths coats and robes. Jason's outfit had been tailored in a way to let him pass for both Middle and Lower Ring class. Undetectable to even to Dai Li agents, they were still packing their costumes and equipment. Bolin happened to find a camera and took a shot of them and then everyone else.

"This is going to be a great visit I just know it! Hey, Korra do you think we should get dressed up as well?" he asked. Mako reminded his brother they had to stay inside the airship for the time being and keep Her Majesty from finding the animals because of her allergies and temper. Pouting a bit he turned around with Pabu on his shoulder. "Hey, do you want to get groomed too?" Pabu chirped meaning yes. So while everyone went their separate ways the animals fell in for a well-deserved pampering session.

* * *

With Korra's group they first heard the Earth Queen's rather deep voice shouting at her servants. "NO! I told you I wanted the topiary of the Saber Tooth Moose Lion on the right not the left. Your other left. I want that fountain sparkling clean by the end of the day and those statutes better not spit up mud again! Incompetent fools all of you!" She stiffened her back as she sensed _peasants _approaching. Turning around she yelled at her majordomo "GUN! I told you no interruptions when I'm working on my temple! Who are these peasants and why have you brought them to me?"

While Gun was cowering and stuttering to explain who they were, Karen made some observations about the woman before her. One she looked mor like a man in drag than a queen. Second, she had a rather unpleasant demeanor, reminding her of Queen Bee, except worse, (that was saying a lot!) Lastly, she had no respect for anyone. When Gun introduced her as the Avatar's companion for the duration of the quest, the Earth Queen remarked at least Korra knew how to keep her servants under control.

Before the teen could zap her Asami held her in place. "Don't do anything rash. I know how you feel, but we need to hand this delicately," Asami whispered as Korra informed the Queen that Karen was no servant and the reason behind their visit.

"You Majesty, I believe that you must have at least witnessed in the last few days that people in your Kingdom have gained airbending. Since Ba Sing Se has many spiritual places built over the years and the fact a few air spirits have come to the city, we believe you could help us in our quest," Tenzin explain humbly. "It was my father's dream to rebuild the Air Nomads and with your help I can finally payback the generous gift your father gave to my father.

The Earth Queen laughed as she crushed several blossoms among her jeweled hands as her long fingernails popped the head of the plants off. "My father was a weak, cowardly, a bumbling fool! He regained much of the monarch's power and what does he do with it? He tries to find a better way for the Constitutional Monarchy to work! His little gesture made this fools forget who their ruler is!"

Tenzin and Asami took a few steps back, this woman was dangerous! However, Karen refused to back down just as Korra and Kilchii did. "You may not have been pleased with my last life and have not shown the respect my companions deserve, yet I wish for us to work together on this joint venture. Perhaps if we did a favor for you than you might be more applicable to help us?"

"Provide that you don't intend to have break any laws," Kilchii added. He was just daring her to provoke Varuna's wraith. A few minutes passed before she agreed to the bargain. If the Avatar and Spirit's Champion would fetch her tax money she tell them what she knew about the airbenders. Everyone had a bad feeling about this.

* * *

At that moment the brothers were having a bad day. The kids had taken a break from grooming the animals so while Pabu was getting dry, it had been enough time for Kai to find something strong enough to break plastic cuffs and grab the remote from _Bolin's_ pocket and run off. A very angry Mako grabbed a confused Bolin's hands and went searching for the brat as he contacted the YJ.

Each of the boys was in a different ring, hanging out near tea houses, formal squares or another spot with lots of people. Thanks to their training they managed to duck out of sight and press their ear coms to make a four way connection. "What happened exactly? I thought you two were keeping an eye on him! How did you miss him slipping away from the animals? They would have made chatter!" Roy hissed.

"Found evidences of some treats he gave them. Probably laced with something to make them sleep. We didn't know he was gone until Jinora pointed out Kai was taking a long time in the bathroom. That little brat! I'm going too…"

"Mako, we can't go hurting our new little brother! He's just a confused and scared little kid," Bolin's voice was heard also by the sound of someone running around trying to put out fire on their pants.

"Dawq I told you we couldn't fool him for long. He knew that Mako's remote was a decoy. We shouldn't have given the real one to Bolin. He sucks at this," Virgil remarked.

Jason laughed and said a few insults about the others not believing him. Before they could respond he added. "I got a lock on the subcutaneous tracker I placed on him early this morning when I grabbed his collar bone. I can track it to him and bring him back to the Upper Ring. Mako, could you and Bolin check out the rumors in the Lower Rings please? I have strong feeling about them." The brothers agreed as they headed in that direction while Jason searched for Kai. Unbeknownst to anyone of them, especially the Dai Li tracking them, Jason knew were everyone was and how to deal with the pesky Dai Li if they messed with him.

* * *

Back at Air Temple Island, the three members stationed there were doing the best they could to help out on the island. President Raiko's team had finished yesterday with locating the last group of new airbenders in the United Nations. Gee, the former Lieutenant, and his team had easily tracked down the airbenders treating them with respect and kindness. It seemed the former Equalists, while still having some issues with benders, felt sympathy for the former non-benders. After they had brought the group over yesterday, some of the elder Acolytes agreed that a few of their chi blockers could assist with the training later on.

Betty, who had just finished writing up the information on the latest recruits, exited the office intent on getting something to eat. She, along with her teammates, had beeb wearing gray shirts with red vests and simple black pants and shoes to blend in. The last week had kept them all very busy. Each night after everyone had gone to bed, they did patrol with the OWL members in order to protect the island. Throughout the day they would help where they could while getting in some practice in the attic.

Entering the dining room, she nearly ran into Ikki, who was showing the new airbenders around the temple. "Hey, you nearly trampled me! I thought someone of your status, was graceful or something."

Betty laughed patting Ikki on the head. "Well, even socialites can get tripped up, especially if they're reviewing the personal files, we started." Curtseying slightly she addressed the two new airbenders. "Apologizes for interrupting the tour. I'm Betty, my friends and I are assisting the Air Acolytes for a community service project for school. I hope you enjoy your time here."

Cassie waved her friend over. Her blond hair had a few bits of dirt in it. Judging by the small amount of dirt on her pants, she most likely had worked in the greenhouse. "Finally, I was beginning to wonder if you just made excuses not to the get your hands dirty. Did I ever mention that I'm not much of a gardener?"

"Trouble in the greenhouse?" Betty asked, munching on a delicious salad. The vegetarian lifestyle didn't seem so bad. It certainly helped her with losing two pounds, but she didn't think she could give up on steaks. Cassie gave her a look before launching into the whole story of nearly getting eaten by some rather thick vegetables she swore were alive.

"By the way, Mal's down at the dock. He said that the Acolytes needed help with patching up the boat. The hull got slightly damaged from the trip to the far edge of the United Nations," Cassie explained, she shoved the veggie platter away glancing around for a few minutes. When no one else was looking, she pulled out a ham sandwich she had raided from Korra's secret stock before devouring it. She glared at Betty daring her to say anything.

There were heavy footsteps coming this way. Standing in the entrance was Mal, but he wasn't alone. Next to him stood a bald man wearing gray and light black outfit. He stood tall and proud, with a calm expression on his face. "Everyone, may I introduce our newest recruit. This is Yorru, he's come a long way to seek safety and to learn the airbenders way."

"Thank you for the introduction…?"

"My name is Mal sir. Pema, Kya, with your permission shall I show him to his room?" the young man asked. Pema assured him he could and Kya reminded Yorru he would need to speak with Betty later about some personal information. Yorru bowed saying that wouldn't be a problem. With only a slightly puzzled look at the girls at the table he allowed himself to be escorted to his room.

Later that afternoon it was the first practice session. Meelo was in charge with Cassie as his "assistant". "Change it up again! I want my recruits not to get lazy! Remember everyone be the leaf! Understand? Good, Mal are you done yet?" Meelo barked.

"Settle down little guy, these panels are a bit heavy. You know it's going to take a few minutes to reset them," Mal said patiently. He was trying to go as fast as he could, but he didn't have his suit on so his strength was just average. Finally he had the last panel in its rearranged spot. Wiping sweat off, he bowed to the little boy, Meelo replied Mal had done a good job.

"Daw you're up first! Remember be the leaf!" Meelo blew his whistle as a confused Daw asked what that meant. He was shoved into the gates and was quickly expelled. Meelo stood over his head blowing his whistle. "That was a poor attempt to be the leaf! Flow with it, move quickly, be the leaf!"

"What does that even mean? I'm not getting a thing you say," Daw moaned softly. He looked like he was going to cry when Cassie hauled him to his feet. "Don't worry, its gets easier. I had a bit of trouble at first, but I managed to get through and I'm not a bender."

From the back of the crowd Yorru raised an eyebrow. "Really, that seems impossible. Perhaps, you could give us a demonstration of how that's possible? It might help us former non-benders tremendously." Meelo liked the idea, ordering her to do so.

Cassie took a deep breath as the gates started spinning. Mal was on the other side cheering her on. "Remember what Diana taught you. A warrior must be one with their environment. Quick and precise footwork is a necessary." One last deep breath and she entered the gates skirting around the first set, she quickly switched to left, right, back, and forward through the gates. Listening to the gates spinning she closed her eyes for last few gates allowing her natural warrior instincts to guide her through them. Finally she reached the end. Turning to the group she called out and said. "See! It can be done, you just need a bit…of practice."

Apparently Yorru had followed behind her also completing the training with ease. As he praised Meelo for his help, the two members looked at one another. Something was up with this Yorru and they would have to keep an eye on him.

* * *

Back in Ba Sing Se everyone, save the bending brothers and Jason, were sitting around in their apartment. After the girl's had secured the tax money for the b****, ugh the Earth Queen, she had gone back on their deal claiming there were no airbenders in this city and she politely (rudely) asked them to leave her city immediately. Korra and Karen had been ready to react, but Asami beat them to the punch by informing the queen they couldn't leave for at least two days because they had to do proper maintenance and refuel their air ship. Grumbling about it the queen acknowledged their request, giving them two extra days to find the airbenders.

"That woman is nothing, but a liar, thief and downright pathetic excuse for a human. I thought I'd seen everything when we battled the Light to rescue Roy, but this woman takes the cake," Korra ranted as she passed around the room angrily. Her anger was catching as Naga and her family started growling. Karen was muttering under her breath how much she wanted to zap that woman.

"Everyone please calm down. I understand that dealing with the Earth Queen has been taxing, but we need to focus. If we're to find the airbenders here we need to concentrate on…" Tenzin was interrupted when the door opened and the bending brothers entered. Mako was missing his scarf and it was obvious that they had a lot to say.

"Where have you guys been? I was starting to wonder if you got trapped in the Lower Ring. Did you find anything there?" Kilchii asked kindly. Mako responded, "We spent the night with our dad's family. They didn't even know he was dead! Anyways, they're okay, but our cousin Tu told us about people in the Lower Ring disappearing after encounters with the Dai Li. Our grandmother Yin refuses to believe the Earth Queen could behind something as hideous as kidnapping new airbenders, but I think we know that not true."

Roy nodded, "That would match up with what we found in both the Upper and Middle Ring. I saw several nobles hiding in their homes locking family members in their rooms. Virgil was in the Middle Ring, he saw the Dai Li dragging students out of the University before vanishing."

Jinora started to bite her nails in fear. Kai had disappeared hours ago and Jason hadn't returned either. What if they had both been captured and now being held prisoners? Oh could this get any worse? She jumped as someone knocked on the door loudly. Bumi opened it and was surprised to see Lin. The Chief of Police entered the room looking around. She spotted Korra and let out a sigh of relief.

"Good, I was afraid that something had happened to you," Lin stated. She looked at Bumi and Tenzin with a serious expression. "I have bad news. I think I located that dark airbender the spirit lady was worried about. Zaheer and his group busted out thanks to his new airbending."

"Zaheer has airbending now? It was almost impossible to subdue him the first time, now it might be impossible," Tenzin whispered. Behind him there was a gasp and the sound of someone breathing pretty fast. Turning around he saw a pale Korra shaking and shivering as Kilchii guided her to the couch. Naga came over and nuzzled her trying to find out what was wrong. "Korra? What's the matter?"

Bumi took one look at her and knew she was suffering from a panic attack. He knelt down holding her arms telling her to take a deep breath and let it out. Kilchii got her a glass of water. Slowly Korra's color returned and her breathing evened out. "You remember what happened don't you?"

Korra shook her head. "I don't know, the last few nights, I've had weird nightmares. I'm in my home and my mother telling me to hide. Someone breaks in and there's fighting. I know I heard that name! I feel frightened and powerless," she whispered. Clenching her fist she held tight onto her bracelet. "Who is he? Why did he attack my home?"

Tenzin walked over to her and sat down on a chair near her. "We don't know. Thirteen years ago only days after confirming your status as the Avatar, Zaheer and his group of special benders tried to kidnap you. It took all of us, Chief Sokka, and the White Lotus working together to catch them. They never broke even after thirteen years in specialized prisons."

"Well, we might know one reason. I didn't want to tell you like this, but…"

All of them looked at her wondering what she was holding back. Lin was always straightforward, but now she was hesitating, not something she would ever do. The members of Young Justice had seen this before, when they were told serious bad news by their mentors or family members. Roy was the one to put the pieces together. "Something happened at the Northern Water Tribe didn't it? That would be the only reason you would be careful with your words isn't it?"

Bolin looked like he was about to have his own panic attack. His girlfriend Eska hadn't radioed him in days. It wasn't like her not to call or ignore her responsibilities as an ambassador. Pabu tried to comfort him as he attempted to hold back his tears.

With a heavy heart, Lin described the break out and how everyone tried to stop it. Recounting what Tonraq conveyed she told them that this attack was revenge against Unalaq's betrayal, although what that was no one knew. Everyone appeared shocked when they heard about Desna's death and the destruction of the Norther Water Tribe. "Eska survived, but they had to amputate part of her leg and arm. The right side of her jaw has been fused shut. There's no serious injuries to her internal body and her wounds are healing, but I'm afraid the concussive force of P'Li's attack has left her deaf."

" ..Deaf? My sweet otter kola will never hear again?" Bolin whispered. His color drained as they were informed she was in a coma and that right now her mother was trying to lead the tribe in the chaos. When Eska recovered she would have to learn to deal with her limits and couldn't be Bolin's girl anymore. With the death of Desna it was her sole responsibility to produce an heir meaning her relationship with Bolin was broken now.

While everyone was trying to process this, Kilchii was dealing with an agitated Varuna who kept asking what they were supposed to do. "Varuna enough! I need time to think!" he yelled out loud startling everyone. "Alright, we need to find and rescue the airbenders then get the heck out of Ba Sing Se. If we keep on the move eventually Zaheer's group will slip up and we'll catch them again."

* * *

"Then the question is man, how are we going to find those benders if the stiffs are keeping an eye on us?" Virgil demanded. "It's not as if one of them is going to drop from the ceiling and help us." A minute later everyone jumped as large, tied up and covered in red dust, Dai Li agent splattered on the floor. He smelled as if he come from a sex club and looked strung out. A second later Robin II dropped to the floor, tossing the torn remains of his civilian clothes into the trash. "I think this guy can be of some service to us."

The adults had startled expressions, they hadn't heard or seen him enter. Not even Lin's trusted seismic sense had detected the boy. The others weren't as shocked by Robin II's abilities, considering you didn't become a Bat without learning some serious stealth, as they were about the Dai Li agent. Karen used a bio scanner on her costume to figure out what condition this guy was in as Roy started grilling Robin II for answers.

"Are you just stupid or do you have a death wish? What were you thinking? Did even stop to think about the dangers of bringing that _Dai Li agent here?!_ Please tell me he's not the reason you're late because you had to build up some punk street cred. Did you even look for Kai or did you slack…"

"Shove you self-righteousness up you're a**! So what if I'm a former street rat? At least I don't go whining about being popsicle for three years or wonder when I can shack up with my assassin wife!"

Someone grabbed the two of them by the collar and smashed their heads together telling them shut up and watch their language. The strong hands shoved the two of them in different corners were Mako grabbed a hold of Roy and Robin II was being held tightly between Asami and Korra. Both of them looked up angrily at Kilchii who had pulled them apart. His body was starting to be covered in Varuna's markings and his mark was pulsating with intense energy. "That's enough, I'm sick of you two bickering. We're a team, one that's gotten along pretty well until now. I don't know what your beef is, but its stops now! Roy take ten and go cool down now! Jason, get off your high horse and start telling us what's going on."

It took a few minutes for everyone to calm down and get seated. Using his hologlove to display his recordings from last night; the Bat's kid showed them what he had learned last night. The footage showed him making his way through the streets of the Middle Ring tracking Kai's signal which was a red dot. Several green dots appeared on the screen along with four gold dots representing his friends.

The footage suddenly changed from daylight to darkness. They could hear sounds of Jason breath slowing down, there was the rustling of cloth and a click of utility belt. The video stopped for a few minutes. It came back on with the time stamp being in the middle of the night. The video showed him looking down at a Red Light District. Men were coming and going out of clubs with courtesans on their arms. Very noble ladies in one building hid their faces behind their fans as they watched in delight as a male earthbender in skin tight cloths showed off for them. Everywhere people seemed to be trading satchels of different colored powders.

Then it got blurry for a few minutes. They saw rock gloves flying as two smoke bombs went off. One Dai Li agent shouted in surprise a putty was thrown over his entire face as another attacked a comrade by mistake. Weapons flew and there ropes and people swinging upside down from tall heights. A deep scary voice started interrogating them before it went black. "I used my new old man's tricks to catch those ugly robes by surprise. Some of them didn't want to break, so I left them in la la land thanks to the drugs, believing they had the best night of their stupid lives. With how strung out I left them they won't remember a thing." He kicked the still stupor agent on the floor as he rolled over drooling. "He was the only one cooperative so I promised to drop him off at home, didn't say when or how."

He went on to explain that he had lost Kai's signal shortly before the attack. His hostage had confirmed that the Earth Queen was forcefully conscripting anyone with airbending powers for her new army. The Dai Li were hiding them somewhere in their new secret HQ as they brutalized these people until they had no hope left. The Earth Queen planned to use these new pieces of property to do away with any dissidents and forcefully take back what she consider "her land" aka the United Nations.

Korra was angry about the queen's back stabbing behavior and wanted to arrest her, but they couldn't use the Dai Li agent's words due to the torture he had been through. Unless they could get hard evidence, such as the airbenders themselves, nothing could be done about her.

As they discussed the situation more they realized that the new HQ had to be somewhere on the Palace Grounds. Hou-Ting couldn't earthbend and wouldn't be caught dead off the palace grounds. With all the secret tunnels and traps in the palace it would be easy for the Dai Li to go unseen. With some assistance from Jinora's astral projection and Lin's seismic sense they found the prison was under the Earth Queen's Temple. As much as they wanted to rush in, they need to plan the perfect rescue and escape if they were to succeed in getting out of this city alive.

* * *

It was a little past noon the next day on Air Temple Island. Alone in the small office, Betty was having a radio conversation confirming the details about the travel plans. "Acolyte Rin, I'm glad that you're willing to make a detour to help pick the newly identified airbenders in the Northern Water Tribe. Yes, give them my thanks. Please see if you can get an update…." Betty paused, the hair on the back of her neck was rising. Her self -preservation instincts were tingling loudly. Quickly she switched the call, to a different line. "Sorry about that, I lost my connection for a bit. Okay, thanks for the update, I'll tell Pema and Kya. They're going to be happy when they hear you'll be at the Eastern Air Temple in a couple of days. Sorry, the connection's bad, I'll talk to you later." Betty quickly cut the blank connection, brushing off some dust before turning towards the door. It took all her self-control not to jump when she saw Yorru at the door.

"Yorru, I'm surprised to see you here. I thought that Meelo and Ikki had taken the recruits to the meditation pavilion to learn to connect with the spiritual energy." She carefully picked up the folders containing all the data about the Air Nomad Project. She changed her stance slightly so that she had room to attack or duck and run if things got ugly.

Yorru gave her a reassuring smile. "I thought I should speak to you about my personal information you needed for your files. I didn't mean to interrupt your radio conversations." He took a slight step towards, his right hand twitching as if he wanted to grab the files. He relaxed his hand and shifted his position so the path to the door was unblocked. "If this is a bad time, I could come back."

"No, it's better to get this over with quickly. The radio calls just confirmed the meeting spot for Master Tenzin and the new airbenders. I was happy to hear that the Southern Water Tribe was agreeing to send their airbenders. I haven't heard from the Northern Tribe, probably just another blizzard making the radio go on the frits. Hopefully we'll be able to leave tomorrow night or the next day in the morning. So shall we?"

"Of course Ms. Betty, that is an unusual name." The socialite girl brushed it off saying her parents were trendsetters. As soon as she finished, she power walked to her room and hid the files in a small opening she had carved on the underside of the mattress and sewed in right back up. No way was anyone getting their hands on these files. She had to find her friends.

She found them in the attic, nearly getting a blow to the head as Cassie miscalculated her speed, her momentum taking too far and tripping over the trapdoor to the attic. "Ah, I really got to work on stopping." The said, shaking the stars from her eyes.

"For a demigoddess, you're not that graceful. Then again considering who your dad is it's not that hard to believe," Mal remarked helping her to her feet. She stuck out her tongue at him and crossed her arms before marching over to the window. She didn't like when people brought up her father Zeus. To say she had daddy issues was putting it mildly.

"So what's going on? Betty, I haven't seen you this nervous since Black Canary told she be at your tennis match." Cassie's ears perked up as her friend told her about the uncomfortable feeling she got around Yorru. Learning that he was eavesdropping on the travel plans and was interested in the files of other airbenders put him on the top of the list for evil wind. "So do we confront him, evacuate the island, what?"

"I suggest we let events unfold. If he attacks than we'll step in and try to contain him. Sound reasonable?" Mal asked. The girls nodded as they slipped into their costumes. The residents of the Air Temple weren't aware of the spy holes that Korra and Kilchii had created in different parts of the temple nor the secret rooms they added for extra protection. After Amon's attack they wanted to be able to safely move around without worry. From their vantage point they were able to keep track of everything going on.

* * *

It wasn't until late in the night that something happened. Flamebird had been keeping an eye on the study. She watched as Kya confronted Yorru who turned out to be Zaheer. She watched as the man blew her right out of the study's window, grabbing a nearby glider and went after the waterbender. She pressed her com as she got out of her hidden closet. "Yorru or Zaheer is attacking Kya out in the back near the fountain! I'm going after him!"

"We'll meet you in a few, be careful!" Guardian told her. Flamebird raced to the window perching on the ledge as she surveyed the scene. Kya had created two waves of water from the fountain sending them crashing towards Zaheer. He used airbending to gather it all in a spinning water spout sending it back at Kya. She managed to jump in and cloak herself sending several tendrils of water at Zaheer. He escaped all but one that froze him. Manipulating the air around him he created a strong wind that cracked the ice before he twirled around and using it to knock Kya off her feet.

He looked at her with slight pity and a lot of rage. "For a lady who carries the legacy of the Air Nomads, you have no skill or culture inside you. You disgrace the Air Nomads." Twirling his staff he got ready to wipe Kya off the face of the planet with multiple air swipes.

Suddenly Zaheer stopped as something kicked him hard in the back of the head. Someone landed in a nearby tree pulling out something from their belt. A female voice ordered Kya to close her eyes. A burst of light flashed in front of his face temporarily blinding him. His foe took advantage of that landing in front of him and striking at him with a series of right hooks and left jabs. A burst of air got him levitating. His vision cleared and he saw a girl dressed in a red and yellow body suit with a flame style cape. He recognized the girl. "I thought that something was different about you Betty. Exactly what does a little girl think she can do to me?"

"The name's Flamebird and I'm not a little girl. I'm a heroine whose been trained by the best old school fighter and Meta," she informed him tossing several birdarangs at him. He blew them back at her as she cartwheeled out of the way. She jumped off several rocks and trees until she tackled the man to the ground. Wrapping her cape around him she tried to subdue him only for him to burst free firing air bullets. Kya had recovered creating ice daggers, but he was too fast. He was preparing an air vortex when someone pinned him to the ground.

"Not cool guy. You should never hit a lady," Guardian informed him as he tried to keep hold of the squirming airbender. Zaheer managed to break free. He tried using suction to pull the hero towards him, but Guardian stood his ground refusing to budge. Guardian broke a long branch and flung it at Zaheer.

Zaheer was slicing the incoming projectiles and maneuvering around to avoid Kya's water and Flamebird's electric bolos. He took off into the air with his glider flying away when he felt something latch onto his legs. A jolt of electricity shocked him as Wonder Girl pulled him back. For the duration of the mission she was wearing a special black mask that covered her face, save her mouth and the middle of her forehead. It was an Amazon relic that protect the identity of warrior so no amount of torture would cause them to break. "You're not going anywhere!" Wonder Girl informed him pulling tighter as she flew closer to the island.

"As Guru Lagma said, freedom of all earthly tethers leads to freedom," Zaheer hissed. A blast of air from his feet sent the girl crashing into the island below. Trying not to feel angry about the girl's obvious power to fly. He glided off into the night.

"Are you kids okay?" Kya asked. She approached them, ready to heal them, but they brushed it off. They didn't seem to have any injuries other than some soreness from hitting the ground a lot. Young Justice was slightly upset. Sure they had protected Air Temple Island, but they lost Zaheer. They hoped their friends were doing better.

* * *

In Ba Sing Se things weren't looking up for the two teams. At first their plan had gone beautifully. Asami and Lin were standing by with the air ship as the pups guarded the ramp. The pups had stayed aboard to deal with any threats. Meanwhile the group had split up into different teams. The team of Robin II, Bumble Bee, and Bumi had snuck in stealth style, systematically taking out Dai Li agents. While bending brothers and Jinora had gone after Kai. The team of Avatar, Tenzin and Red Arrow had gone to get the remaining airbenders. Outside the temple Arsenal, Naga, and Static provided cover.

They had all managed to get out of the temple with only a little trouble, but now they found themselves surrounded by hundreds of Dai Li agents and the Earth Queen, who looked even uglier at night. The airbenders stood behind the heroes unsure what to do. Everyone dropped into a stance as Avatar and Red Arrow stood front and center.

The Earth Queen spoke first. "So you've discovered my new army. I hope you don't think you're leaving with them. They are my property and as such taking my new weapons from me will be considered an act of war. I don't think you want the full forth of the Earth Kingdom bearing down on you." She studied her nails before rising to her full height. With her Dai Li standing by the Avatar would have to give up. No one dared stand up to her.

So she was very much surprised when two hit her headpiece ripping out of her hair and destroying her _qitou_ and leaving her with bald patches. Red Arrow lowered his bow and spoke with the authority of Varuna. **"You're very much mistaken if you believe that these people are property to be used for you selfish desires. You own father decreed that any Earth Kingdom citizen could give up the citizenship or maintain dual citizenship if they wished by moving into another country." **He gestured behind him as Static made their auras shine. They clearly were a mix of green and orange.

"**As you can clearly see these people are now half Earth Kingdom and half Air Nomad. By abducting and torturing them, you have interfered with their right to choose their own citizenship. Adding into the fact that this conscripted army is part of conspiracy to launch a premeditated war on the United Nations. Therefore you and your government have broken international and human right laws. Removing these citizens from your custody is not only justified, but the least of your problems." **

"It's over _Hou Ting_! Back down now or you'll be feeling the full force of the Avatar might."

The Earth Queen snarled upon hearing a peasant use her real name. She ordered the Dai Li to kill everyone except the airbenders. Turning around she started to march away when she found herself tied up and lying on the ground by two sets of bolos. The more she struggled the tighter they clung to her. She let out a yelp of pain as a small insect buzzed by her head stinging her face.

The Dai Li started attacking with precision and deadly force. Three dozen pairs of rock gloves came at them. The group scattered as the airbenders created air shields to protect them from harm. Sliding across the ground Arsenal fired tranquilizer darts from his little gun. Down went five agents. As two agents launched him in the air he tossed two grenades into the fray. Seconds later they went off destroying parts of the gardens while injuring several people.

Static soared above their heads zapping them. He was frustrated when they used their earthbending against him. His powers didn't work on rock! Up down, zipping fast to the right and doing two loops he got an idea. "Let's see how you rock heads handle being in the spotlight!" Getting high in the air he created a large ball of light before causing it to explode like a bug zapper. Below he watched as the rest of his friends used his attack to their advantage.

Bumble Bee kept changing size, one minute normal kicking butt before vanishing as she shrunk. "This is a lot of fun whoa! Ah, I need some help here I don't want to be swatted!" Suddenly a rush of fur ran by as fire and earth flew in all directions. She landed just as windstorm blew around her. Struggling she crawled out of there as Robin II picked her up. "Time to retreat, these punks have reinforcements coming!"

Everyone was making their way to the air ship or Oogi, but Avatar was standing her ground facing the entire Dai Li force. As long as they existed, the Earth Queen could continue to harm people. It was time to end their corruption forever. "Please, if you can hear me, I need your help," she prayed as she focused her mind. She connected to the spiritual energy, amplified her connection, and linked with the bracelet. The Earth Queen, who had been freed, along with the Dai Li watched as a wind storm covered the Avatar. Everyone else was on board the air ship or Oogi. When the winds died down a shock was felt by everyone.

Avatar Kyoshi stood in front of the Queen's Temple. Opening her eyes she spoke with conviction and anger. **"I founded the Dai Li to protect cultural heritage, to help keep Ba Sing Se safe. I wanted you to help keep the peace and let all voices have a chance to speak. Instead, you have become corrupt and thugs. The Dai Li is nothing less than a mercenary gang," **she growled at them. Grabbing her fans she got ready to enter the Avatar State. "**As of now the Dai Li is no more!" **

The entire city shook as a massive earthquake radiating throughout the entire city. Great fissures opened revealing the entire Dai Li network. Water from underground streams burst into the halls flooding them. Fire burned creating a great amount of ash as materials were mixed into liquid concreate. A huge tornado circled the city leaving behind several tons of unbendable concrete in place. The tornado whipped back to the palace as Kyoshi used her fans to destroy the Dai Li's clothes, equipment, and scramble their minds so badly their memory was damaged as they hit the ground again. As she came out of the Avatar State, she picked up the Earth Queen and dug her fan into her neck drawing blood. **"I would kill you for what you've done, but today I'm feeling merciful. Never again disobey or try to harm the Avatar or you will suffer a death of great torture."**

Dropping the Earth Queen, Kyoshi launched herself until she was on Oogi before turning back into Korra. As Kilchii tended to her; the group let out a sigh of relief. They had escaped Ba Sing Se and now were going on their separate paths to fulfill their destinies.


	4. Riding Thermals

Almost two weeks had passed in the world of Young Justice. It had been an exhausting two weeks with the bulk of the team missing. Batgirl would not be returning for another two weeks and Nightwing hadn't contacted them in a while so they didn't know when he would be returning. Thankfully Miss Martian, Superboy, along with Wolf, his son Nanook, and Sphere had returned. Still, it wouldn't be easy to perform covert missions.

At the moment, the three senior members of Young Justice, had to attend a League meeting to discuss the status of the team members and give a report on how the bulk of the team was doing in Korra's world. The League also wanted to share some important news with the younger heroes.

Several members of the League waited anxiously for news on their sidekicks/partners. Some, like Batman and Wonder Woman, were better at hiding their feelings, but others like Captain Marvel and Black Canary, had some trouble keeping their fears hidden. Everyone was paying attention as Aqualad gave his report.

"Our last contact with Team A…" he got interrupted in mid sentence by Superman. "I thought this mission was to help strengthen Young Justice bonds as a team. I recall that you had serious problems when you split them into smaller groups, so why would they split up to begin with?"

Magician Woman answered for Aqualad. She had been there for their first call and wanted to support her friend. "Avatar Korra decided that since the mission was two parts, finding and protecting the new airbenders, that it would be necessary to leave some members to protect the incoming airbenders on the Island, while she helped co-lead the mission the to find airbenders in the Earth Kingdom and locate the evil wind."

"Have they been keeping in regular contact with one another?" Aquaman asked. His apprentice nodded as he tapped the air bringing up a recording of one of their three-way calls. With these calls, the two teams could keep in touch so they could continue bonding with Team Avatar, over a distance, while at the same time, telling him the latest news. He also pointed out the days that passed between the two worlds was slowly closing.

"That's good to know. This time difference has been very difficult for real-time communication and providing aid to either world. With both worlds working with one another I do believe our alliance can grow stronger," Martian Manhunter stated. Others nodded their head in agreement. No matter how different their worlds were, they shared a common goal: protecting the innocencent and finding balance for the world.

Black Canary turned her head back towards Aqualad. She intended to ask him to deliver his latest report, but her fiancé Green Arrow beat her to the punch. "Speaking of bonding, how has Kilchii adjusted to his new role? More importantly, how are he and Roy getting along?" Everyone could pick up on his anxiety. He was fidgeting something he didn't do. His right hand kept going to his cell in his pants as if he was waiting for an important phone call.

Miss Martian responded to his question. She had reviewed the video while studying the body language of the callers. "As far as we can determine, the tension has gone down considerably since the start. I can tell that it's still there and fights occasionally break out, but all team members seem to be putting aside their petty differences for now especially Robin II," she replied carefully looking over at Batman, hoping to sense a reaction, but as usual he was steel trap letting nothing out.

She continued speaking using her telepathy to show what she had seen and felt when watching the communications. Though it was second-hand, it did properly convey the difficulties going on in the other world.

_"Kilchii is still adjusting to his new role. No one understands his role completely yet, not even himself. It's a struggle being a host and providing context to a powerful baby spirit. Still spoke of managing some sense of teamwork. His only problem at the moment is that his emotions are in flux. _

_ For some reason there is a great deal of anger and hatred coming from Roy, which is adding to his emotional flux. From reading their body language I have no doubt a breaking point will soon reached and I don't know where that will leave them._

_ On a happier note it seems Korra has regained some of her abilities; including calling on a past life. She has only done this once according to our last communication and the effort left her weak and helpless. Hopefully it won't take as much effort in the future." _

Coming out of the telepathic link, Superboy informed them what the last communication had revealed while emphasizing that the team was handling their own. "While it's not completely sure what this terrorist group goal is and knowing their leader Zaheer is unofficial airbending master; Flame Bird, Wonder Girl, and Guardian did manage to fight on even ground and hold him for a few minutes while keeping him from obtaining vital information."

"Impressive, I knew Mal had it in him. I told you guys my training methods weren't stupid!" Captain Marvel crowed before Green Lantern Hal created a gag over his mouth. Happy for the moment GLH decided to add in his two cents.

"While it's great that three young heroes managed subdue a major bad guy for a few minutes, he still escaped and with him and his special bender friends at large the situation will get worse before it gets better. Do they really think the three of them can protect untrained recruits?"

"Yes, they can. Wonder Girl is still training in the ways of the Amazon Warrior. She will let nothing stop her from doing her duty," Wonder Woman hissed forming a fist in her hand. The others got the message; back off on the Young Justice team. Smirking slightly she asked for the YJ members to finish up.

The rest of the story became difficult to process; especially when the team told them that timing of Korra's escape from Ba Sing Se matched up with a natural disaster happening on Mars just as Miss Martian and Superboy were leaving. Was it possible that the veil between the worlds was thinning or had it been a coincidence?

This added more concern as the League told them about what they had learned about the recent activity by the Light. There had been using more of the Apocalyptical tech lately as well and strange manufacturing of greenhouses in the Midwest. Some of Black Manta's crew had nearly been caught near Ferris Industries. Both Green Lanterns reported that the Guardians of Oa had informed them of recent Reach activity a few hundred light years from Earth, making them very tense. It seemed that while they had thwarted the Light's plans that they had a stronger back up plan that they needed to prepare for.

* * *

Back in Korra's world, deep in the Spirit Wilds of Republic City, Zaheer had rejoined the group. P'Li scolded her boyfriend for revealing himself to the Air Acolytes in turn letting the police know they were in the city. Ghazan tossed his Flamey-Os-Instant Noodles over his shoulders letting it splattered on the back wall commenting now they couldn't even attack President Raiko while Ming-Hua whined about having to find a way out of the city.

"We're not leaving yet. Not until we get some answers," Zaheer informed his group. They looked at him as if he lost his mind. "I understand your confusion, our goal has always been the same, and I promise we'll achieve it. Thirteen years behind bars has left us at a serious disadvantage."

P'Li looked at the newspaper he managed to snag on his trip back. She gently took it from his hand and started to read. It was a few days old, but it was a follow up about the meeting between the Avatar and Spirit's Champion and President Raiko. Spirit's Champion what was that? Former Equalists making a task force to find the new airbenders, she thought that Equalists hated benders, why would they find them for the United Nations? Wordlessly, she gave the newspaper back. "So many things have happened during our thirteen year imprisonment. I didn't believe the world would change that much."

Ming-Hua shrugged her prosthesis. She pushed herself up and placed her prosthesis on Ghazan and P'LI's shoulders. Her tired face conveyed her frustration and determination at the same time. "Hey, the only news we heard was the prattling of bored guards who rather be where the action was then guarding us. I bet those stupid galoots kept their mouths shut just to annoy us."

"We had our payback didn't we?" Ghazan replied earning a small smile from her. He turned to Zaheer, arms crossed he swished his long hair back. "I've got no problem delaying our retreat. Just wondering how we're supposed to gather information when our faces are plastered all over the city. You could have strolled into the library, but now?" he flung his arms wide indicating the impossibility of the task.

"You bring up a good point Ghazan. It may be impossible for us to gather information," he acknowledged his friend. He paused for a moment, his eyes gaining a glint in them as waved his hand encompassing the entire wilds around them. "Our spirit friends can be a service for us. After all, if we are to bring about a new era, we can't forget our promise to assist the spirits."

"This is going to be fun," P'Li remarked. "I almost forgot how much I loved that mind of yours." She kissed him as he embraced her. Ghazan and Ming-Hua looked at them, then each other, before leaving to track down some spirits to help them. They were in the thickest part of the Spirit Wilds, how could they not find some useful spirits?

* * *

Surprisingly it took them nearly two hours to find, capture, and persuade elemental spirits, to assist them in gathering information. The simple elementals could slip in and out of the library, newspaper office, even into the high security cell for the two waterbending brothers. The problem was trying to physically carry anything with them. Elemental spirits are regarded as protectors of their elements as well as being part of them. That meant they were partially made out of water, earth, fire and air. Try carrying books that weigh more than you do and keep them from getting wet.

The sun had just gone down as the elementals finished their task. Their reward was eating bit of their elements bended by Zaheer's group. Looking at the books Ming-Hua sighed. "Reading? My least favorite thing to do was reading, even during my imprisonment I didn't want a book to pass the time. No hands made reading hard. Do I really have to do this now?" she asked sarcastically. Earning a glare from the rest of her friends, she laughed before telling them she was just joking. Looked like they were in for a long night.

Two days later the terrorists had finished updating themselves. Indeed many things had changed around the world and especially their target. So the Avatar had crossed into another world that was only open to her via help from the Guardian Spirits. No one else was allowed in and only friends of the Avatar could cross back into her world with permission. That explained about those heroes on the island and helped the Avatar stop the Dark Avatar. It appeared they were responsible for her unusual technology and special probending uniform she wore a lot into battle.

The interesting twist of fate for the Equalists going from terrorist to the personal guard of the president was shocking; especially since it was a recommendation from the very person who had defeated the leader of the Equalists, Amon. She and her boyfriend, a Mr. Kilchii Harper, had refused to kill Amon, instead leaving him unable to bend forever. A powerful connection had been formed that day, if the Avatar was able to regain her bending after losing it.

The same could not be true for the Dark Avatar who was vanquished by both Avatar and Red Arrow, while fulfilling the promise of Avatar Wan and the Guardian Spirits. Both of them had gain new skills and power, but that was nothing compared with the creation of a younger sibling for Raava and Vaatu, Varuna; Spirit of Justice and Reason, who lived in his host the Spirit's Champion. Almost everyone was still unsure about the new position and responsibilities for the host. Everyone did know that they should respect him.

After a bit more reading and discussions the terrorist now had caught up with the world and wouldn't be caught off guard when they finally met the Avatar and her friends. Their mission was still the same, with one addition to the plan. They needed to also get control of this Spirit's Champion before they carried out their final objective. For now the four of them slipped out of the Spirit Wilds looking for a way out of the city and finding the Avatar's current location.

* * *

Meanwhile Korra was excited. After spending a little time with Naga and her brood playing around, they had received a radio call from the city Zaofu, that a new airbender had awaken there. Lin was not pleased at all, locking herself in her room, partially bending the metal so no one would disturb her. It was a long silent flight.

"So what's her problem? I thought a whole city of metal would make her smile," Virgil asked the group. He'd gotten excited about seeing this city of metal and meeting the Metal Clan. He didn't think there was a city in their world that was _completely_ metal. Most metropolitan cities had lots of metal skyscrapers, but there was also stone, sometimes wood, or something else that made up the city.

"Who knows, maybe she's just cranky because we're constantly on the move or the city reminds her of something she rather forget," Karen suggested out loud. She pulled at her blue tunic dress trying to feel comfortable. Now that they didn't need to wear Ba Sing Se style, the group had switched to more comfortable tunics, shirts, and pants, but none of them were very happy. They wanted to wear their civilian clothes.

"It's none of our business, now I want all of us on our best behavior. So far we haven't made a really good first impression and I would like to leave this world without having everyone hating us," Roy instructed. He strutted in front of each of them drilling instructions in their heads emphasizing the importance of etiquette and honesty, totally unaware of Jason mocking him behind his back causing everyone else to hold in their laughter.

Finally they landed in the city with strict instructions from Lin to not mention she was here. That would be no problem for them as the disembarked from the airship. They were kindly met by an older gentleman who was bald. Something about him just didn't sit right with three people; Karen, Jason, and Virgil. They couldn't name what it was, but Aiwei just seemed slightly off to them. He frowned slightly when the members of Young Justice hesitated on giving their names and refusing them to say where they were from.

He took them to meet the Matriarch of the Metal Clan, Suyin. She had just finished her dance rehearsal and was happy to meet them, until her advisor whispered something. "Avatar Korra, Spirit's Champion Kilchii, you honor me with your presence in my city, but I must know why you and your friends are lying to Aiwei."

"Why do you think we're lying about anything?" Kilchii asked her. He studied the man, trying to figure out what his secret was.

"I'm a truth seer, using my seismic sense I can detect when people are lying. Avatar Korra was lying when she said all of your party was here. These four individuals," he said using his hand to wave at the members of Young Justice, "have not been completely honest. There is something off about who they say they are and refusing to tell us where they are from is a security risk that won't be tolerated."

"Forgive us Ms. Suyin, but I'm afraid that some secrecy is necessary in order to protect our home, as well as the spirits and Korra. I ask you to trust us when I say we mean no harm to no one here," Roy informed her bowing along with the others. "Our abilities and mannerisms might be different I'll admit. We are heroes and take our vows of justice very seriously."

Aiwei looked at Suyin. He opened his mouth to insist on a full disclosure when Korra cut in. "Enough, Matriarch Suyin, Advisor Aiwei, I understand your fears, but I won't let you harass my friends and fellow teammates. I trust them completely with my life. Both my boyfriend and I, vouch for them. They may be from a world only I can access, but pose no threat," she said glaring at them. Next to her Kilchii stood tall and informed them that if they wanted a truth, then Chief Ling Beifong was on their airship.

Suyin eyes widen in surprise. "Lin's here? Wonderful, I haven't seen or heard from my older sister in thirty years." As everyone's jaw dropped she turned to her advisor. "Aiwei, I believe we can trust the Avatar and Spirit's Champion's judgment. Spread the word all her friends are to be treated with respect and that they are not a threat." Clapping her hands she started dragging Korra and Kilchii behind her as she headed to go see her sister. Roy got annoyed look on his face, angry his word wasn't good enough yet his "twin" was.

* * *

It appeared he wasn't the only sibling not happy to be reunited with their family. Lin wanted nothing to do with Suyin accusing her of breaking apart their family and didn't make any effort to get to know any of her nephews or her niece, Opal, who was the new airbender. Seeing the tension between the sisters made Young Justice realize how silly their own petty fights were.

Much later it was dinner time, everyone was looking forward to the meal. It smelled so good. Karen took one bite smiling. "This is the best seafood I've ever tasted. Back home, gourmet food like this would be way out of my price range. Hmm, I love the flavoring."

Wei and Wing nuzzled up close on opposite sides of her. "If you think the foods impressive, you should see me kick Wing's butt at power disc."

"In your dreams Wei, I'm better than him. Want to take a stroll with me."

"Ugh, stop flittering, I have a boyfriend you know!"

"Go Karen, shoot them down home girl. Next time maybe you can put them to sleep with a science lecture. They're more brawn than brains," Virgil called out jostling Huan, who ended up face first in his dinner. "Oops sorry man. Total accident on my part. Can you teach me the basics of making statues out of metal? I want to design something nice for my mom's birthday."

Opal noticed Bolin next to her playing with his food. He looked very sad. "Is something wrong? You've hardly touched your food, if you're allergic we can get something else for you."

Bolin looked up from his plate at Opal. For a few seconds he was smiling and blushing, then his expression turned to regret and loss. "Um no the food's fine. I just was lost in my thoughts. A lots happened in the last few days."

"Do you want to talk about it? Maybe that will help make you feel better?" Opal suggested. Bolin just squirmed in his seat. Mako noticed his brother fidgeting. "Bolin, why don't you go rest for a while? I'll bring you back some desert okay?" The earthbender listlessly nodded and left the table Pabu chirping as followed his friend.

A look of distressed appeared on her face. She looked a Mako, "Did I say something wrong? I only wanted to help him." A small gust of wind burst from her hands accidently messing up Mako's hair. "Sorry! I didn't mean to do that."

"No big deal, lots of benders have trouble with their elements when they first start using them," Mako replied letting Asami fix his hair. The couple laughed at each other smiling at their little gestures of love. "Thanks Sami."

"My pleasure. Opal, you did nothing wrong. There's a lot complications right now in his life and he just needs some time. Trust me, he'll warm up to you."

Opal looked at her with hopeful eyes. She really wanted to become Bolin's friend. Everyone perked up as a loud booming voice called out. "Hey Suyin I've just had a brilliant idea! We can use the magnets oh my I didn't know we had company," Varrik said looking nervously around at the sight of all these guests. "Maybe Zhu Li and I should head back to our rooms,"

"I don't think so fugitive," Kilchii said trying to reach for his bow, when Suyin trapped him in his seat. "Settle down, Varrik is my guest and current head of technological progress. He's under my protection and I won't have you arresting him."

Team Avatar looked at her as if she was crazy. They protested that he was a known fugitive and that his conspiracy and illegal methods should be met with justice. Roy even pointed out the danger Tigress had taken to catch him, but Suyin wouldn't budge. Lin said it was typical behavior by Suyin storming out of the room, with Kilchii going after her. After that dinner was canceled and everyone went their own ways, except Korra and Roy who wanted to talk to Suyin. After hearing about her life Korra left to find Lin, while Roy stayed behind to talk a few minutes more with Suyin.

* * *

Roy took a seat, asking Suyin if it was alright if he could do maintenance on his prosthetic while they talked. Suyin, who couldn't believe he had one, said it was fine. The red head thanked her, taking out a small kit from his pocket. He applied pressure at the elbow joint and his arm popped off. Su took one look at the circuitry and whistled. "That's a very advanced prosthetic. I don't think even my son Baatar Jr, could engineer something like that."

"Korra and the Guardian Spirits created the basic design using life energy. Afterwards, my family and friends helped me tweak it," he explained, a look of longing was on his face. Shaking his head he started testing the circuits while spoke. "It appears I'm not the only one who has trouble with their sibling. At first, Kilchii and I got along okay. I was almost ready to forgive him for causing this and how he came into this world, but I just can't let it go. "

"I thought you were twins? Korra mention his birthday is in three days. She was hoping I could help with a surprise party. Won't it be your birthday too?" Roy shook his head saying they weren't real twins and that it was complicated. Su rolled her eyes understanding that statement perfectly. "I learned some stuff recently about him. Something that I can't forgive," his voice getting darker as he finished his maintenance. He put his arm back on before continuing. "My wife is, you know, and I need to take care of my business with him to move on."

"I be happy to help. I can't fix my relationship with Lin, but perhaps I can assist you with yours."

* * *

Jason was sitting outside on a window ledge, carving a piece metal into a random shape. Looking at his design he wondered how long he'd have to wait for Virgil to get out of the shower, so he'd have a turn. Turning back to his carving he noticed Korra trying to comfort Opal. Looking at them, he knew what they were talking about. "Girls are pathetic sometimes. So are brothers and parents."

"Why would you say that dude?" Virgil asked coming into the room from the shower. Getting his dreadlocks fixed he jumped on his bed preparing to go to sleep, but honestly wanted to know what was keeping his brooding friend up. "Come on, be honest with me for once. What's bugging you?"

"This place, that family, even Mako and Asami, make me want to gag," he snarled. Continuing his carving he continued. "This city is nothing but a living lie. There's no such thing as completely safe, we both know that. Opal's tears, why is she bothering to cry about something as petty as a boy brushing her off or her aunt's rejection? The happy couple fraternize in front of a broken-hearted family member? I don't claim to have ever been in a true love situation, but I sure wouldn't drive the knife into my brother's heart by acting goofy with my girl while his ex was forced to leave him." Finishing his carving he let Virgil using his powers to bring the jagged heart closer.

"Hey, I get what you're saying. I didn't want to talk to anyone when my first girlfriend and I split. Still, people have to learn from their mistakes if they're to open their eyes to the real world. So, hit the shower and get some sleep. I think Roy wants to do an early morning run tomorrow." The boys knew they had shared a private moment and wouldn't forget it.

* * *

At the Northern Air Temple, for the last five days Tenzin attempted to educate the new airbenders in the ways of the Air Nomads. Besides the airbenders from Ba Sing Se, they had been joined by all the airbenders from the different temples. Several children that Pema had placed with Acolyte guardians, had developed airbending and had been accompanied by one foster parent. A few of them even gaining airbending themselves. So far it hadn't been the rounding success he was hoping for.

"The gurus of the past have always been the most enlightened of the Air Nomads. By truly detaching themselves from the world great wisdom was bestowed upon them. This wisdom has helped our culture survive for centuries, even after the genocide of our people," Tenzin preached in a sage voice. He surveyed the group looking unhappy at what was before him.

Several of the children, including Kai, had bored expressions on their face, a few them had even pulled out a deck of cards and started playing a game. Some of the adults looked half asleep. Even a few of the Acolytes were fidgeting and this was the culture they promised to keep alive. "Please try to center yourselves. We have a lot to cover in the next few days and we need to remain focused. Now, I believe our next lesson should be on…"

"Incoming! Hi Dad, how have you been? You wouldn't believe how many airbenders we found!" Meelo told him landing on his father as he landed on his shoulders. He started playing drums on his father's head as Tenzin stood and looked towards the sky. Bumi let out whistle when he saw who was approaching.

Pema and Kya, along with the heroes, descended from the sky with the rest of the United Nation airbenders. Two airships, one from the Southern Water Tribe and the other from the Fire Nation followed them. Once the airships landed people started disembarking from them in mixed clothing. There were splashes of blue, green, red, and white mixed with the traditional colors of the Air Nomads. There was a mix of three dozen airbenders from both the Southern and Foggy Swamp tribes. Two dozen Fire Nation new benders and surprisingly, eight airbenders from the Northern Tribe.

Escorts from the Northern Tribe approached Tenzin, who was surrounded by his family and the Young Justice members. They had been about to inform him about the attack from Zaheer only to be interrupted by the Northern soldiers. "Master Tenzin? We need to speak to you," a general informed him.

"Of course, I have to say I'm surprised that you had time to locate and send your airbenders to us. I thought that after Zaheer and his group devastated the Northern Water Tribe, you would have gone into isolation once more," Tenzin admitted as he held Rohan in his arms. The others were just as shocked, knowing the history of the tribe, they were more likely to hide when trouble was around then get involved.

"Before his death Chief Desna, decreed that the Northern Water Tribe must be more active in helping the other nations in order to keep balance. After witnessing what his father had caused he understand that we couldn't keep hiding or creating trouble. We need to actively shape our destiny," the general replied. He paused as a look of grief appeared on his face. It seemed the Northern tribe was still having trouble accepting the loss of their chief.

The younger soldier, a lieutenant, spoke up, handing over some papers to Tenzin, "Chieftess Eska continues to heal and our healers assured us she'll wake from her coma soon. In the meantime Regent Pipaluk understands the difficulties that her daughter will face once she wakes up. In order to protect her from future danger, she's asked you to train the airbenders," he explained tiredly. Glancing behind him he saw the airbenders doing the meet and greet with one another. There was some tension between the other Water Tribes, but it relaxed rather quickly.

"Of course I'll train them, but I was under the impression that…"

"What my little brother is trying to say, is that he's happy to hear to hear that your airbenders are committed to protecting Chief Eska," Kya interrupted shaking hands with both men. "He hopes that they'll also be able to help with the Air Nomads as we continue in the rebuilding our culture; once Chieftess Eskais strong enough to allow it."

The soldiers nodded saying that would be fine. After getting assurance from Betty and Pema they keep the Northern Tribe updated on their people's progress, they boarded their air ship and left. Tenzin wanted to scold his sister, but she interrupted him telling him about Zaheer's infiltration and escape with comments from the Young Justice members. Handing over the latest paper they learned of the dramatic and dangerous escape from Republic City they had pulled off. Betty reached into her travel bag pulling out the hidden paperwork. "At least he didn't get this. These files have detailed information about each airbender, some of the facts in here could be used to cause great harm to their families or the Nomads themselves."

"I'm just glad that no one was hurt. Thank you for helping protect my home," Tenzin said bowing to them. The trio stood tall and proud. Mal assured him that they would continue to protect the airbenders and train them. The airbending master accepted their help to protect only to decline their help with training. He was super confidant that his new approach would work. He thanked Bumi for giving him inspiration. Bumi watched his brother walk away and said to them, "I just told him to build us back up. I hope he doesn't go overboard."

* * *

It was an hour before dawn when the whole temple was awaken by a loud horn blast and Tenzin's booming voice demanding everyone get up to go on a ten mile jog this morning. There was a lot of yelling and frantic cries. Even the Air Acolytes in the temple became confused if they needed to go on this hike. The members of Young Justice, who had bunked in a nearby dormitory to the airbenders, and currently trying to ignore the horn.

Cassie took one look out the window then buried her head in a pillow. "He can't seriously believe we'll be joining him for this hike. I need my beauty sleep!" she whined crankily. The horn blew again louder this time. "Wake up! As long as you kids are under my protection, I expect you to follow my orders!" Tenzin shouted as he entered their dorm and stripped off their blankets and even had the audacity to shove the young demigoddess out of her bed. Angrily, she made a grab for the trumpet but missed. Looked like she was going on a morning hike. "By the way, no powers or tech! You'll be normal just like the rest of them."

"How are they normal when they got bending and two of don't have powers?" Mal muttered as he tried to find a set of clean clothes. Another trumpet blasted nearly taking out his ear drums. Slipping on the first pair of pants and shirt he could find the trio headed out with the rest of the recruits.

The rest of the morning didn't get better. Normally a ten mile hike wouldn't have been so difficult, but they were climbing up steep mountains in freezing temperatures. New airbenders from the polar Water Tribes handled the cold fine, but went slowly to help their equator cousins as well as the benders from the Fire Nation. During mediation Tenzin strolled through the group scolding anyone who wasn't doing the proper breathing techniques.

Later, after only a ten minute breakfast the airbending master, sent the adults to work on their balance while he gave the Acolytes revised lesson plans for the children. Acolyte Azra studied the plan. "Master Tenzin, I understand your desire to share our culture with our newest members, but are you absolutely certain I should start with this instead of my own lessons plans?"

"Of course, their Air Nomads now. Instructing them on the history of the Air Nomads, while helping them learn their new customs, manners, and life style is important. Acolyte Azra, please its best to start when their young so they can properly embrace their new citizenship while leaving behind their pasts."

"If you insist, come children it's time for school!" she called out as the kids, except for Tenzins' and Kai, went inside to begin their lessons. Mal had been standing by a look of concern on his face. "Master Tenzin, can we talk?" The airbending master brushed past him as he focused on the training. This time the recruits from the Earth Kingdom struggled. They had always been taught to keep themselves grounded, being high up on poles was scaring many of them.

"I can't do this, help I'm going to fall ah!" Yung was saying as he swayed back nearly falling off if it hadn't been for Daw using some airbending to push him back up. "Thanks, that was a big help." Daw tried to respond only to have ringed tail lemurs pounce on him knocking him to the ground.

After that exercise; Tenzin randomly selected fifteen airbender, five from each nation, and shaving their heads while informing about the benefits of not having any hair. He ignored several people's request to leave their hair as it was. Soon they were all bald, while being handed new clothes telling them to go change into regular airbending outfits. "Anyone else ready to look like proper Air Nomads? No, then head to the obstacle course for now, but I expect you to change by tonight's dinner!"

"Dad, please give them a break. You need to take it slowly," Jinora pleaded, only for her father to insist he knew best. Mal stood next to her his expression almost unreadable. "Does your father have any idea how he's acting is similar to an overlord controlling slaves?"

"Really, he's not that bad. He's just wants to help our culture recover. He's never had this many students before. He just needs to find a teaching method that works," Jinora insisted only for the young heroes to roll their eyes and muttered something about her father having the same problem as his father did. He couldn't let go of the past or combine it with the present to create new traditions.

Jinora tried to ignore it, but watching everyone on the obstacle course and seeing how much her siblings enjoyed going along with their father's methods made her uneasy. A few of the recruits couldn't complete the obstacle course disappointing her father greatly. He was going on about how they should be embracing the gift bestowed on them, when fighting broke out. Several of the recruits made comments about needing to learn some offensive techniques to protect their Chieftess or that they weren't having any fun. Others spoke up about that they weren't about to forget where they came from.

Suddenly the members of Young Justice calmed down the crowd, informing them that they would be their new instructors. They had words with Tenzin about his behavior and that he was missing an important part of his own culture, fun. Jinora stepped in also reminding him about the jokes and laughs old monks and nuns had. She brought up once more about her having tattoos only for him to tell her she just a little girl who didn't know her place. Holding back tears she ran off into the air temple with Kai on her heels. Flustered, Tenzin left to speak to his wife leaving the recruits with Young Justice.

* * *

The recruits settled down for lunch, many having their first completely vegetarian meal. Studying them, Betty looked at her friends. "Maybe, we were too harsh with Tenzin? He's a good man, great father, and a decent teacher. He just tried too hard to be something he's not."

"Well he broke their spirits while doing this. Half of them look like they want to quit and the others are thinking of throwing a rebellion. If Zaheer shows up, no one's going to be prepared for him," Mal informed them quietly. "Any ideas?"

"I can tell you training them like Amazons will result in more broken spirits and bones. Wish there was a way to make their lessons fun. Teach them what they need to know, without them realizing it," Cassie remarked. Next to her a light bulb went on above Betty's head. After swearing her friends to not use her ideas as blackmail material she told them her plan.

After lunch the recruits once more gathered at the start of the obstacles course. Young Justice wore their costumes as Ikki and Meelo stood by with a device with buttons and a stereo. "Good afternoon class. My name is Betty, but when I wear this outfit, you can call me by my heroine name Flamebird."

"What are you three up to now?" Bumi asked only to be shut up by Ikki who insisted her uncle listen to them. "Thank you Ikki. Believe it or not my companions and I know exactly how you feel. Once we were rookies trying to find our way in the world. Me, I came from an old money family expect to carry out traditions. I was expected to act like time stood still and follow the ancient rules of society. I want to make my own path that include my likes with some of those traditions to help people. Eventually that lead me to become the sidekick of my mentor Black Canary."

"Right now you think you should give up, but don't do that. Each day you have to be tougher than the day before otherwise you won't grow. I have powers that I need to practice control with every day. Guardian has to keep up his physical strength and maintain his suit to help him. Flamebird works harder than any of us to keep in top condition," Wonder Girl said. She demonstrated a bit by flying into the air then landing showing how careful she had to be to avoid creating a crater.

"All you hear is Tenzin's voice saying you can't do it right. That you're not cut out for this. But we believe that your stronger than all of you know," Guardian said. He nodded to Ikki, who turned on the IPod player. Guardian and Wonder Girl took their places along with Meelo. Ikki stood by her uncle.

Flamebird took a deep breath. She could hear the opening rhythm to one of her secretly favorite songs; "Stronger than You Know," sung by Mulan (Lea Salonga), on "Sofia the First."

"_I know a lot about overcoming doubt. So many things they told me that I couldn't do. I went and proved them wrong, so now I'll pass along,  
these simple words I hope get through to you." _As she sang, she had gestured to the group before crossing her own arms as she looked at the obstacle course, looking like she angry at it.

Striving over she looked at the first obstacle, those swinging bells, before turning back to the recruits. _"It doesn't matter what they say. There's only one voice to obey. And it's that little voice inside, so let that be your guide. Then you can save the day!" _With no hesitation at all; she back flipped into the course ducked and weaved forward through the first obstacle.

She continued to sing as all her friends tried to make the obstacle course harder on her. Her never give up attitude inspiring them as she went. _"'Cause you are stronger than you know. Stronger then you know. You may be small but give it your all and you will finally show; that you are stronger than you know  
So much stronger than you know."_ Flamebird had completed the obstacle course before using a glider style cape to land next to the recruits. "Ready to try for yourselves?"

Ikki jumped up and down, "Yeah we just need to work as a team!" Bumi asked her if she was sure that if they could all complete this course and she smiled telling him that she believed in the. Opening her mouth, she sang the next set of lyrics as the group got started. _"Just look at what we can achieve, through any danger we can leave. And we could conquer any maze, a new trail we could blaze. If only we believe." _Slowly the group was making it through the obstacle course, helping one another, even using their bending to defend, help, and even creating breezes to stop Guardian, Wonder Girl, and Meelo's attacks. All at once they were all singing the song.

"_That we are stronger than we know. Stronger then we know.  
We may be small but we give our all. We will finally show  
that we are stronger than we know, so much stronger than we know  
So much stronger than we know!"_

Everyone laughing and smiling at their success. They had been real Air Nomads for a minute. It was a good thing to that they had gotten their rhythm because the rest of the night had been spent rescuing Jinora and Kai, stopping bison rustlers and becoming one with the heard. As they watched the stars come out Young Justice looked over at Tenzin and Jinora. Seemed everything was back to normal and if they heard correctly, maybe Tenzin was finally willing to have some fun.

* * *

While all this had happened the group at Zaofu had their own interesting day. Their morning started out a bit differently. At a reasonable hour everyone was up and enjoying another scrumptious breakfast. "This is delicious. These eggs have a unique flavor. What kind are they?" Virgil asked. He was gobbling them up. These were better than the ones his mom made for breakfast.

"They're duck eggs. We get them from a nearby farm that specializes in breeding them!" Wei stated in between bites. Next to him Wing was going for thirds. "These eggs give us a massive energy burst so we can play for hours."

Wing wiped some juice off his mouth. "Hey Avatar, you want to join us today with a friend? It would be so cool to play against the Avatar." Korra informed him that she couldn't metalbend. She admitted trying in the past, but getting nowhere.

"I thought for sure that Lin would have taught you the skills by now. Can you do any subbendings for earth?" Su, (as she was insisting they call her), asked curiously.

"I can't use seismic sense, but I have a really good grasp on sandbending. In fact, ha ha, I remember clearly the first time I did it. Remember Kilchii?"

"How could I forget you burying me up to my neck in sand while I yelled at you for carelessness? It was an interesting start to a relationship wasn't it?" He squeezed her hand tightly, without her his life could have turned out very differently. "Why don't you let Su help you with adding metalbending to your list of talents? I'll be busy for the next few hours."

"Oh why is that? Do you sense something that Varuna needs to intervene in?" Asami asked wiping her mouth off. She had planned to head over to the tech center and offer her services as an engineer. Besides, someone needed to keep an eye on Varrik.

"No, it's something I need to do for myself. I'll see you later," he said. He bowed to his hostess and left the room. He was going to track down Lin and make her go to the acupuncture session he set up the night before for both. His dreams had gotten worse and he needed answers, but was scared to go by himself. That's why he chose Lin.

* * *

After breakfast everyone went their own ways, the members of Young Justice being reminded by Roy to remain vigilant for signs of trouble. Rolling their eyes the others agreed as they watched him walk behind Korra and Su towards the practice field. Jason let the others know he was going to go for a run with Naga and her pups to burn off some energy. Virgil decided to join the twins for their power disc game, calling it training. Karen decided to check on Bolin, who hadn't come to breakfast, before tracking down Opal for a friendly spar.

When she reached the room the brothers were sharing she found Opal outside. Before she could ask why she was there, Opal gave the sign to be quiet. Knowing eavesdropping was rude, she couldn't walk away. Both girls kneeled down and listened through the door to the brothers' conversation.

Inside Mako was marching around Bolin's bed shaking him. "Come on, you need to get up. I've never known you to miss a meal." Bolin gently pushed his brother away pulling the sheets over his head. "Go away Mako. I just want to be alone. My poor koala otter. She's in a coma, what if she never wakes up? Will she miss hearing my sweet voice?"

Mako snatched the sheets off, burning them to a crisp as he chastised his brother. "I can't understand why you're so hung up on this." Bolin ignored him bending an earth tent around him. Inside they could hear crying. "Bo, can't you mope and grieve about your forced break up later? We've got more important things to worry about than Eska." Hearing those words Mako was flung out the room by several earth spikes causing the girls to dive to the side. About thirty seconds later Bolin ran down the hallway with Pabu wrapped around his neck, tears streaking his face. The hallway trembled a bit as the earth underneath the metal shoved against each other.

Opal dusted herself off and put her necklace back on. She helped Karen to her feet. "Are you okay? What's wrong with Bolin, I've never met an earthbender who could cause minor quakes without meaning too." Looking down the hall she saw several trinkets had smashed to the floor. Her green eyes softened as her heart went out to Bolin. "He's dealing with a loss of some kind isn't he?"

Karen nodded checking to make sure her uniform underneath hadn't been damaged. Listening to the brother's fight showed her that she needed to learn to be respectful and _really listen_ when Mal was trying to tell her something.

"I think we should help both boys. Mako here nears some good old fashion advice. Why don't you find Bolin?" Opal was about to ask what should she say when Karen placed her hands on her shoulders. "Don't talk, listen," she said tapping taping Opal's ears. Nodding Opal left as Karen help Mako down the hall to the kitchen and thanked the chef when he gave her a big bag of ice. Placing it on the bump Mako had gotten to the back of his head, she wait until the worse of the swelling had gone down before talking. "What is the matter with you? You're brother's heart is broken. He doesn't need you forcing him to stop being depressed and worried."

Mako held the ice, wincing from the brain. He never knew his brother could bend that hard. "We've got bigger problems than worrying about a three and half month relationship being forcefully broken." He placed the ice back on the counter. He whispered, "I don't understand why Bolin's getting sappy now. How many good memories could he have of her?" Karen smacked him on the arm and they both heard the chef mutter clueless jerk.

"Are you just heartless or have no understanding of relationships outside your own?" the black girl asked. Getting a confused look, she pulled out her newly designed stinger guns for when she was full size and zapped him. "Forget about the relationship for a moment, did you forget the fact that a terrorist group broke out of unbreakable prisons, laid waste to the Northern Tribe, and killed Desna; while leaving Eska barely clinging to life? Everyone should be worried about her, she might never wake up or if she does, what will it be like for her? A three and half month relationship is the first step in cementing a working romance. Stupid warriors, not Eska, told him that he can't talk or see her again? How would you feel if someone stopped you from seeing Asami? Then magnify that stress tenfold with all that's going on and maybe you'll understand what he's going through."

Instantly she stilled, her own words rebounded on her as she blanked out in front of the firebender. absent-mindedly shocking him again, she remember her last fight with Mal, before this mission. The one where she didn't listen very well. She had been too focused on herself to realize Mal wanted to talk about _them._

"_What is your problem Mal? All this extra time I'm taking in the lab is giving me the credit I need for grad school. I could really become an important scientist one day specializing in microbiology and nanoscopic tech. You want me to give that up?" _

"_No, but it wouldn't hurt if you tried to make some time for me. I love you Karen and admire you, but I don't know long our relationship can last if you're not willing to make a little time for us," Mal said, before leaving the lab in Ivy Town University. She watched him leave, she didn't try to stop him. She just chalked it up to his recent mood swings and went back to work. _

Mako touching her arm, brought her back to reality. Excusing herself she headed to the radio center. She needed to apologize to Mal. Taking a shortcut from the back garden she stopped for a few seconds. Sitting on a bench was Opal, who was listening with patience as Bolin talked about his precious memories of his days with Eska. Opal spotted her and gave a wink. The teen nodded, happy for both Bolin and Opal, finding the person they needed at the moment.

* * *

It had taken a while to persuade Lin, but after learning he already scheduled the appointment, the chief of police joined him. The two of them entered the room as Dr. Gao finished lying fresh paper on the tables. "Ah welcome, I hope that I can help you relax as I relieve the stress from your body. Have either of you ever had an acupuncture session before?"

Lin scoffed saying she was here under protest and Kilchii stated he was unsure. "I heard that acupuncture could redistribute chi and bring up buried memories," Kilchii explained. For a few seconds Varuna flashed his presence causing Kilchi to nearly fall over. Lin held him in place as Gao examined him.

"Hosting a new spirit and being used as a conduit for his powers has caused imbalance for both you and Varuna. In order to continue your role; as an advocate, advisor to justice, and partner to the Avatar," he was saying as he helped the teen lie down, "I must find a way to help your chis flow next to and only merging together at critical junctures."

Kilchii was nervous, what would happen after the session? Would he finally have an answer to increasing nightmares? Could the acupuncture hurt Varuna? He didn't know and was trembling as the needles hovered over his body. Uncharacteristically Lin took his hand assuring him that it would be fine "I promise to stay for the full session with you. I'm not going to leave until it's all over. Promise." Once calmed down they closed their eyes, feeling the pinpricks of the needles attaching themselves.

_Flashback Kilchii's POV_

_ It was dark and cold. That was the first memory he had. Slowly opening his eyes he, (how did he know what gender he was?), squinted trying to understood the world around him. His limbs hung uselessly in the air. A squishy goo was being drained from his cage? Home? What did those words mean?_

_**"Relax my friend, don't panic. You can't let them realize you're conscious just yet. Rest a bit more," **__a soothing, gentle male voice filled his mind._ _On instinct he twisted around rattling restraints he didn't realize he had on. Panic flooded him as he struggled only for the voice to speak sharply this time at him. __**"Please, you need to stay calm and quite. I promise soon you'll have your answer, rest Kilchii." **__ A soothing peaceful scene of mountains with fresh breezes blowing next to a pond with a fire crackling filled his mind. _

Outside in the training area, Su watched as Korra practiced bending the piece of meteorite slowly shaping. "Yes that's right, feel it, touch it, then change it. We'll have you moved up into advance levels in no time," the Matriarch told Korra. The girl smiled, pleased at her progress. Su called over to her shoulder asking if Roy wanted to join them. He responded he be there in a few minutes.

Adjusting his arm he was about to join them when he gripped his head. A memory of his resurfacing. It was the first in many that had twisted his heart against his "brother" and started him down this dark path.

_Roy's POV. _

_ Speedy had woken up strapped upright to a stretcher. The sight of his missing arm terrified him. He had to get out of here and tell Green Arrow what Luthor was up to. Twisting and pitching back and forth he tried to bite through his restraints only to receive a nasty shock. "My dear child I wouldn't try anything. You're in no condition to be attempting an impossible escape oi? Monsure Mallah please keep the boy still. I need to finish this scan. Once complete we can begin that transference of memory and stabilize our new broken arrow," the robotic voice of the Brain chirped as he rolled into sight adjusting some monitors. What was the Brain doing here? Did he know Luthor? _

The memory stopped as Roy pushed it back down. Putting on his mask Arsenal entered the training field, ready to take on the Avatar. Nothing would distract him.

Dr. Gao frowned as he looked over his patients. Their energies were flowing irregularly as suppressed memories surfaced again. There was some whimpering from the boy and he saw Lin gripping the table tightly. "They're trying to fight the recall. If you can hear me, please you need to let the memories come back. Once they have return your energies will come back into balance.

_Kilchii's_ _POV_

_ Kilchii, or was he Broken Arrow, continued to float in and out of consciousness. The familiar presences of Dubbliex in his mind made him feel safe. He just wished that when he left he didn't leave the door to his mind open. He kept seeing and hear flashes of voices and images happening somewhere else. Could he be in two places at once? Suddenly he could see himself in the tank and other on the stretcher in front of him. "Brother?" he whispered at the same the other said "clone?" _

Arsenal blasted Su rock to pieces and defend himself from Korra. He ducked behind a fence to plot the next attack, when his headache returned with a vengeance. Another memory emerged, more painful than the first.

_A clone! Luthor had taken his arm just to clone him? WHY? The clone continued to look confused and surprised as he was forced into the tank next to him. A helmet clasped tightly on his head. More figures popped out the shadows. The Light! They were using their talents to take his identity from him. When they turned the helmet on he could feel his identity slipping away into the imposter. NO! HE was the real Roy Harper not this monster of science! _

_ It was later, he felt weak and confused. The other him had been placed on a stretcher next to him. The members of the Light looked at him proudly, but its eyes kept searching for him. On the edge of his mind, he heard a tiny voice whisper his name. Was the clone linked to him in some biological way? He didn't know as Ra's al Ghul commanded he be taken to the deep freeze for later use. A sedative was injected as he faintly heard his own voice calling out._

"GET OUT OF MY HEAD! I won't let you take over my life again. You'll never have Cheshire or Dinah, not even Ollie again. I'll make sure of it!" he growled as he tore out of his hiding place going after Korra. He forced back the other memories as their spar intensified.

Kilchii was glowing slightly. He kept reaching for his weapons. His nightmare was back, but this time he saw the rest of it. _Kilchii's POV. He used all his will power to break free of Queen Bee's powers. Adrenalin surging he broke free. It was confusion as they tried to recapture him only to use their talents to take one another out. He raced through the halls, following the link. He entered the deep freeze seeing his brother about to be flash frozen, "NO! I won't let you," he screamed at the g-gnomes. He tried to stop them, but they overwhelmed him. Passing out he heard Dubbliex's voice one more time. "__**Keep your bond hidden, let you both see through your eyes. When you're strong enough you shall find and save your brother." **_That was the last memory he had before recalling being rescued by Green Arrow. Coughing Kilchii regained consciousness wondering what he should do next.

* * *

Outside in the courtyard Arsenal had called an end to the practice session. His head was hurting badly and he needed to sit down for a minute. Su asked him if he needed anything for the pain, but he kindly told her no. "I'd feel better if you let someone at least exam you. Headaches like that aren't normal."

"I'm fine, just recalling certain events I rather leave buried is all."

"What memories were that? The ones you mentioned about your so-called brother to me last night?" Korra looked at Arsenal confused. Why would he be talking to Su about Kilchii? Was she finally going to learn why Arsenal had become so hostile towards his brother?

She sensed someone coming, grabbing one of her boomerangs she turned to throw it, but stopped. Jason, along with Virgil, Karen, and Opal were riding over on Naga, Kallik, Silaluk, and Taqqiq respectfully. They all jumped off and hurried pulled Korra towards a nearby pavilion. "What's going on? Why do you all look so frightened?" her own voice tightening.

"Trust us, you don't want to be down there now," Jason replied in a serious tone. He looked past her and saw Lin and Kilchii approaching their siblings. Lin looked seriously ticked off and Kilchii had a confused, fearful, but hopeful look on his face. Their counterparts just stood there waiting to hear what they have to say. Everyone on the pavilion watched in anticipation as the last bit of the magma rose before spewing out in deadly lava.

Su stood tall, her hands on her hips with her head tilted. "You came to call me out so do it already, or are you still too high headed to admit your wrong?"

Lin got into her bending stance, but held off from bending for the moment. "You're still wasting your potential, taunting me as if you're still a delinquent. Why didn't you take responsibility that day in Mom's office? Instead of being responsible you let Mom take the fall and left me scarred for life! She felt so guilty she retired the next year."

Su rolled her eyes also getting into her own stance. "Mom retired a hero the next year because she wanted to, not because, of some misplaced guilt. We came to terms with our relationship years ago, but you're so bitter and lonely, by refusing to come you ripped our family apart!" Su accused her. Her eyes slid from Lin to Kilchii making the boy stand still.

"I'm rather surprised that you allow, not only a vigilante, but a kidnapper/impersonator, to live in your city. Make me wonder what the Spirits were thinking." Kilchii shuddered at her words and it took Naga and the boys to keep Korra from retaliating at that comment.

Arsenal noticed his "brother's" reaction. He pointed his prosthetic at him. "Oh, are you finally going to admit the truth? What's the matter? Don't want your girlfriend or your friends learning your a liar and a coward?" His accusations made the young one take a step back. "Then again Korra is pretty much the same with what she did to us."

"Arsenal, Roy please listen. I know you're angry, but please don't bring Korra into this. The Guardian Spirits and she only wanted to help. I know having my memories through a third person pov is confusing, but they did that so you could have a chance to form your own bonds with the team," Kilchii pleaded. In the back of his mind he felt Varuna, but shoved him back. "I now know what's got you upset, but I swear I didn't know until today!"

"LIAR!" Arsenal shouted, pulling out a grenade with his other side. "How could you not know? You got your own original memories and our link. You wanted to be real and not some pathetic science project! You could have saved me long before you did."

"No, Dubbliex buried it deep inside me. The Light created me to be a puppet. I only knew what they told me. You came through only when I was in deep REM. I gave you back everything I unintentionally took," Kilchii confessed. He was reaching for his bow. His brother didn't want to back down. Especially when he announced Jade (Cheshire), was pregnant with their child. Some of her comments about Kilchii, had provoked him to take out the competition.

* * *

When he finished the fighting began. Two sets of siblings exploded going for blood. Lin launched the first attack, a series of earth columns, ripping up the courtyard as she tried to hit her sister or at least unbalance her. Su levitated on a piece of earth. Reaching out she flung three meteorites at her sister while Arsenal tossed his grenade and fired his laser at Kilchii.

Kilchii fired two arrows, one knocking it off course, and the other carrying it to the far end of Zaofu before it exploded. He ducked, rolled, and pulled a small piece of metal in front of him to twist the angle of the laser beam. The metal superheated as he dropped it. Reaching into his quiver he pulled out a putty arrow and shot it at Arsenal feet. The hero managed to dodge it, but found his foot partially stuck.

Su bent him free with a wave of her hand sliding in front of him. Lin was levitating several rocks as she punched them through the air at high speed. Su broke several of them with an earth punch while maneuvering through the storm, but let out a cry of pain as one piece struck her shoulder. Three arrows shot at her releasing nets. Arsenal threw his knife cutting them in half. His knife stuck in the wall near the pavilion scaring the observers.

Lin used her earthbending to create armor around herself and Kilchii. It was difficult to move in for him, but he was able to come in close to use his bow to block and attack up close as Arsenal started beating him. The two brothers struck, kicked, and mirrored the others move. Nearby the sister had formed their own gauntlets of earth and metal turning this into a true fist fight.

By this time the rest of Su family had arrived. While the twins cheered her on, her husband's pleadings to stop went unheard. Suddenly Huan's sculpture came hurtling at them along with tranquilizer darts. "Duck!" Virgil shouted using his electrical powers to catch and place the statue down next to a tree. Korra created a rock shield as Karen and Jason took out the darts.

"If they keep this up for much longer, they might actually succeed in killing each other or seriously maiming each other!" Karen informed them as the attacks got worse. She was witnessing sinking holes, mini explosives followed up by a lot of cursing. Neither side looked as if they were ready to quit.

Korra dropped the shield and jumped off the pavilion to the ground below. The animals, heroes, and Opal joined her wanting for her commands. "Okay, here's the plan. I'm going to create a small fissure to unbalance them. Opal blow them apart. Naga, you and the pups need to pin all four siblings so we can restrain them. We'll sort out their problems later. Let's do this!"

Korra's plan went flawlessly. She had just slapped restraints on Kilchii, all the time apologizing when he went slack. To her shock a gray and yellow mist started coming out of her boyfriend's mouth. It hovered in the air taking shape until Varuna appeared! Everyone was so shocked they didn't react when the Spirit of Justice and Reason touched the foreheads of the two sets of siblings absorbing their memories. Everyone waited to see what he would do.

* * *

"The four of you have lost all reason if you think a match to death would have resolved your problems. I understand that siblings fight from time to time. That you all believe that you've been wronged and your right, you haven been. This violence won't solve your problems or bring about true justice," the spirit informed them sternly.

He floated down picking up the sisters, he undid their restraints and placed them on separate sides of the ruined courtyard. Turning his face at Su, he spoke to her first. "Suyin Beifong, I've seen into your heart, you have truly changed into a different person. Your desire to help others reach their true potential is a grand idea," Varuna informed her. The Matriarch smiled happily, but frowned when looked at her with scowl. "However, none of this means anything unless you finally take responsibility for your actions. Change means nothing if you don't make restitutions to the people you've hurt. You never took responsibility saying, 'Yes, I committed a crime. Yes, it was my fault I scared my sister. Yes, I should have spoken up and told my mother I would take the consequences for my actions instead of hiding.'" Floating closer his symbol flashed in front of her, letting her feel the pain, anger, and loss Lin felt since that day. "How do you expect to fix a relationship if you don't make amends first?"

Su hung her head. In her heart she knew he was right. Not even after fixing her relationship with her mother had she acknowledge her role in causing a family rift because of her actions. Walking over to Lin, she took a deep breath and said. "I'm sorry Lin, from the bottom of my heart. I committed a robbery, hurt you, and let mom cover up my mess instead of taking responsibility. I made a huge mistake, and I regret I can't undo it. But if you give me a chance, I'll make it up to you."

Lin wasn't going to accept the apology until Varuna hovered over her. "Lin Beifong, relationships take two in order to work. It's time that you let go of that anger because it hasn't helped you heal correct? Take the time to know your sister know, see her as she is and maybe you'll find healing. Can you do that?"

"I'll try, I will try."

Varuna smiled flying over to the two brothers as he repeated his process with them. "Roy Harper, you have suffered much more than anyone should. You lost much, but gained more than you had before. I know you think Kilchii is lying and that he forgot you. Deep down you know it isn't true, you can't get justice for what happened to you so you blame someone else. Your brother, (yes he's your brother), suffered as much as you did. He tried and succeed in making it right." Varuna looked at his host with a smile before continuing. "There is enough love and happiness to go around. Forgive him for not knowing and acting sooner. Love him and be the support he needs and he will be there when your family needs it."

Roy was so angry he didn't want to listen to Varuna. Still, he was repeating everything his family had told him, so maybe it was time to finally let go of his painful past. He went over to his brother, shook his hands and told him he forgave him. Kilchii smiled, finally able to forgive himself for everything and realize that he always belong here in this world. Satisfied, Varuna put the siblings in a deep sleep before retreating inside Kilchii once more. Justice had been served and now they could move on.


	5. Surprising Updraft

After sixteen hours or so of deep sleep and a mild breakfast, everyone had recovered. A calm had settled over the siblings as their pent up emotions slowly went away. The sisters now appeared to be on speaking terms and at least being friendly with one another. They had a long way to go before they could be friends/siblings again.

Roy was the first of the brothers' to wake, although he wished he remained unconscious a little while longer. It was the funniest thing that had ever happened in Zaofu; as they watched him run around the compound trying to avoid being bit or blasted by Korra riding on top of Naga. Bolin and Mako trailed behind her yelling at her to stop and trying to use their bending to contain her. All the while Young Justice watched with amusement as Jason recorded the whole thing. Karen had suggested that they use this as blackmail material or to embarrass Roy in the future.

Kilchii was the last to stir. Waking up he felt sore all over. He could barely push himself upright on the bed. He stumbled a few times knocking into his dresser and tripping over his clothing. "Ugh, I feel like I have the worst hangover in the world. Varuna, what did you do to me?"

_"I apologize for my force full actions. After the session, I realized I could use my spiritual chi, to manifest myself outside your body for a short time. Leaving your body gave me clarity and made me unbiased when I decided to intervene. Why would the four of you try to kill each? How does that serve justice or be considered reasonable?" _

Slipping on his shirt, Kilchii response came out muffled. "It's called umm being…caught…um in the moment. Humans, when the reach a breaking point, become all consumed by one emotion and they act on it without any regard to what's happening around them." He tighten his sash around his waist and brushed his hair until it wasn't looking like a bird's nest. "You did the right thing Varuna. Stopping the fight, confronting us with the truth, before asking us to mend fences." He left his guest home heading for the dining hall.

_"Mending fences? Oh its cliché metaphor about fixing a relationship. How nice to know that! I want you know that your brother is truly sorry for his actions. He is willing to forget the past and this time really become brothers." _

Kilchii, gave a small laugh and smiled. Having originally been Roy Harper, he knew how difficult it would be to let go off his stubbornness and pride to do that. Maybe being married to a double agent assassin had helped him turn down those qualities. He continued to stroll down the hall. He wandered about the lack of people. Hmm, probably too busy with something else. It wasn't like today was that important to anyone, save him and Korra.

_"Your first official birthday is today. Congratulations for turning 4/19! I'm sorry I didn't get you a gift." _

"What are you talking about? Saving my life and giving me a second chance with my brother, that's the best gift I could ask for. Okay, maybe a party would be nice, but there's zero chance of that happening," he whispered as started pushing the doors to the dining hall open.

* * *

It was dark inside. He couldn't see anything. He sensed someone was in here though. On his guard, he took a step inside when suddenly there was a loud boom, then a bang, followed by a pop and a hiss. He covered his eyes as flashes of fire flew across the room lighting candles. The firelight reflected off the crystals and metals forming a spotlight on him. The light grew brighter as the floor rumbled a bit. A small platform appeared in the back with everyone shouting "HAPPPY BIRTHDAY KILCHII!" Dropping his arm he gasped.

Multicolored balloons hung all over the room. There were streamers and a big sign with the words, Happy Birthday" on it with him in Red Arrow costume shooting sparkling arrows. The table had been covered with all sorts of party food and his favorites. There was even a small pile of presents! Everyone was wearing some sort of festive hat. Korra bounced over, kissing him on the cheek and placing a birthday crown on him. "Surprise! I was planning something special on the island, but had to change them once we started on our quest. Do you like it?"

Kilchii's blue-green eyes filled with tears as he hugged her tightly. "Thank you, this is the greatest surprise in my life." Soon he was being hugged or shaking hands with everyone as they congratulated him. He looked at Roy, who was approaching him slowly. Roy paused, then held out his hand, "Sorry for everything. I was out of line. Happy birthday baby brother." Smiling they hugged tightly sharing their first true moment as brothers.

Su clapped her hands calling everyone to pay attention. "I was going to have a party for Opal in a few days, honoring her and wishing her luck with airbending training at the Northern Temple. My darling daughter instead insisted that she didn't need one and that your birthday was a more worthy celebration." Using her bending she floated a ceramic tray full of birthday cards and small metal band over to him which he graciously accepted. Slipping the band on he wanted to sit down to read them, so Karen proceeded to sit him at the center seat. Jason yaffed at Virgil to get the tunes playing before he started chowing down on the chef's version of potato chips, hamburgers and soda.

Kilchii had never been to a better party. Reading all those nice cards and chatting it up with new friends felt good. They danced to the different tunes and played party games. He didn't know where they got the Twister mat or the Jenga set, but he had fun winning a couple of rounds. The chef had baked a chocolate cake with strawberry frosting along with some vanilla ice cream. It was really delicious.

After everyone had eaten small portions of their cake and ice cream it was present time! Bolin had done a childish, but charming little comic book about Kilchii's life story while Mako got him a red and black hat. Kilchii thanked the brothers putting on the hat. Karen teased it made him look dashing, though it clashed with his crown.

Asami gave him a card that read "Free Upgrades for a custom Satocyle for life." Seeing his confusion she laughed, "I know how much of extreme rider you are. Trust me; this card is going to keep your cycle in top condition." Her words made him blush. His next gift from Lin made his eyes bulge out. "You can't be serious? Is this legit?"

"What? What did she get you?" Mako asked curiously. Showing the ID card and the United Nations badge, the firebender fainted. Apparently President Raiko had pulled strings making Kilchii Harper/ Red Arrow/Spirit's Champion an official special agent of Republic City and the Unite Nations. He was a legal hero now!

"That's so awesome! I can't believe you would allow that Lin," Korra said, as she admired the ID card. Lin shrugged her shoulders, "He did help us out with many of the crises to the city so I guess he deserves it."

"He deserve it much more than you think. Our present to you is from all of us. Hope you make good use of it," Virgil said handing over the big blue box. Inside the box was an album next to a smaller box for tech. Putting the hero stuff to the side, he opened the album smiling. There were pictures from his life in the Young Justice world including after he left. It even had messages from his friends. This one he would treasure forever.

Su and her family had worked together to create a special set of arrows that could be reformed into any shape. He wasn't a metal bender, but the points could be molded or set before hand by either him or Korra. He thanked each of them before earning sloppy kisses from Naga and the pups. Pushing them down he looked at Korra, she had let down her hair and applied a little bit of make up on.

Talking into the mike connected to the player she spoke with joy. "Happy Birthday Kilchii. Today you're officially four years old chronologically and physically nineteen. Those numbers mean different things to you, but for me they gave me an idea of what to sing for your gift. I listened to a lot of tunes before I chose this one. "It Ain't Over Yet," by Bryan Adams." Everyone sat down as the lighting changed. It was time to see Korra secret talent in action.

_"Turn me loose - it's now or never. Feel like I could run forever.  
A new day's come - a new moon's risin'. I take my chances on the blue horizon.  
A leap of faith - a shot of spirit, freedom's callin' - I can hear it._

_Hold on tight - we're gonna get there, It's time we're on our way._

_It ain't over yet - you can lay your bet. Now nothin's in my way - you ain't seen nothin' yet. I have learned to fly - hold my head up high.  
Somethin' I don't want you to forget, it ain't over yet, it ain't over yet._

_I was born to run - born to ramble. Any prize's a worth a gamble.  
Sometimes I get the urge to wonder, cuz I'm a child of the wild blue yonder  
Fill our hands - the sky's the limit. The race is on - we have to win it_

_Hold on tight - we're gonna get there. It's time we're on our way_

_It ain't over yet - you can lay your bet. Now nothin's in my way - you ain't seen nothin' yet. I have learned to fly - hold my head up high.  
Somethin' I don't want you to forget, it ain't over yet._

_How ya gonna know if ya got what it takes? Can't be a winner if ya don't run a race. Ya know you're gettin nothin, if ya come second place. Cuz it ain't over until it's over._

_Aow it ain't over yet - you can lay your bet. Now nothin's in my way - you ain't seen nothin' yet. I have learned to fly - hold my head up high. Somethin' I don't want you to forget._

_It ain't over yet (it ain't over yet). It ain't over yet (it ain't over yet)  
Oh nothin's in my way - you ain't seen nothin' yet. I have learned to fly - hold my head up high._

_Somethin' I don't want you to forget. It ain't over yet. No!  
It ain't over yet, it ain't over yet."_

Everyone clapped and whistled loving the song. They all so how it related to Kilchii. He walked over and kissed his girl right on the lips before saying she was the best give in the world. The world he had finally found where he belonged.

* * *

The next afternoon the sun was shining brightly as a strong breeze made its way through the valley creating sweet music in the air. The weather forecast predicted more sunny days. After yesterday's party most of Team Avatar was taking a well-deserved rest. All except Bolin, Opal had convinced him he needed to talk with someone about his problems, so they were in a joint session with a reliable therapist. Hopefully, it would help the young earthbender.

As for the members of Young Justice, they had decided to explore the city. It was a once in a lifetime chance to see metallokinesis in action. If they could discover a way to manipulate metal they could upgrade their weapons or even just use for fun. Only one member remained behind to "exercise the animals", in truth, Jason still wasn't completely comfortable yet with doing a group outing.

Dressed in his street clothes, he was wrestling around with Taqqiq as the two tried to pin each other to the ground. Now the pups were the size of full grown St. Bernard's, with still a long way to grow before they were full size like their mother. Back home Nanook, the eldest of the pups had already reached full adulthood and was now only a bit smaller and his powerful big front paws had come in handy taking out bad guys.

Taqqiq was still a bit of runt, but he used his big bushy tail before belly flopping on the boy. All Jason could see was grey fur in his face as the dog faced pup licked him endlessly. "Stop, stop, that tickles. Get off me you big goofball." Jason continued to wiggle around trying to find a way up, but just couldn't push the big guy off. A sharp bark from his mother and pup retreated back to her.

A giggle was heard as the former street rat turned around to see Korra scratching Kallik behind her wolf ears and patting Silaluk's muzzle earning growls of pleasure from the girls. "Yeah, you like playing with Jason, he's just like your big brother Nanook isn't he? He's so big and scary."

Jason glared at her with his hands clenched. Korra sent the pups over to their mother before brushing their fur off her outfit. She closed her hand over her charm bracelet standing there awkwardly unsure what to say. That caused Jason to stand up straighter taking a few steps closer to her as his posture became threatening. The teen girl's hand dropped automatically towards her boomerang belt, ready to use it if she had to.

Jason flipped his pocket knife out holding it up at an angle. He was in striking distance should he choose to let it fly. The same with Korra and her boomerang. There was no fear in her eyes. She wasn't backing down. The standoff went on for a bit, before Korra stood down raising her hands to show she was willing to submit. "I'm not here to hurt you, I just want to talk is all."

Flipping his knife, Jason put it back into his pocket. He crossed his arm, his tone getting sharp. "What about? You going to lecture me about my potential being wasted and not learning to be a good team member, like Aqualad and my "big brother" Dick does?" He flung his hands in the air spinning on his heels giving her his backside. "You going to be like Bruce, treat me like a soldier or try to mold me into something I'm not? Oh I know, you want me to change my ideals, less violence and cussing. Stopping thinking that killing would be a good solution."

"Actually," she said, raising her hand her eyes flashed blue. Waving her hand all over him she made his spiritual energy visible along with her own. Shocked, as well as ticked off, he whirled around to face her, but her eyes appeared to be focused on his energy line in the sky. Both of them could see a cross-road. The one on the left was long and uninterrupted, with the symbol of the Fire Nation and a red mask. His right line saw a crowbar and an evil smile. There was long break and then it started up again with a red helmet and guns. She made it vanish leaving them both confused.

Jason stomped his foot and grabbed her arm squeezing tightly. "Don't do your freaky energybending on me, I don't like it! Are you trying to meddle in my life, because I get enough of that already!" He blinked and the next second he found himself unable to use his arms. Another punch disabled the other arm. A strike to his legs caused him to fall over into a metal chair Korra bent up. Surprised, he just looked at her and whispered, "You chi blocked me? How do you even know how to do that?"

Korra shook her fists trying to get feeling back into them. "Gee gave me a couple lessons after his trial before he became the head of President Raiko personal security. I haven't used it before so I'm surprised it worked." Doing finger exercises she looked at him again, the sun lengthen both their shadow adding a new element to this little talk.

Bending up another chair, she took a seat squirming to get comfortable. "I didn't come to lecture you or force you to do anything. I did want to talk about what your spiritual energy indicates, but I was hoping you could help me first."

Jason raise a single eyebrow in confusion. No one had ever asked him before about advice. Most of the time he was the one getting advice. Intrigued by this new development, he decided to trade. He would help her out and in exchange, she told him what that spiritual energy was about.

So Korra started talking to him about her concerns and confusion about current events. She had attempted to mediate to gain more memories of the attempted kidnapping years ago with no results. Further attempts to gain insight had met with the same results. The recent reports she had "borrowed" from Lin's quarters described Zaheer's group escape from Republic City and mentioned how right before they escaped they made sure to destroy President Raiko's statue. Sadly, she admitted she didn't understand what Zaheer's group motives were and what their group was all about. She looked at him with pleading eyes begging him to help her. His life on the streets, combined with his criminal father and detective skills, might give him an advantage on the group.

The numbness in his arms was starting to go away as he pondered Korra's question. He asked if the police had found any evidence or had photos. He was well aware they had not developed much in the forensics. Korra mentioned they had found a partly destroyed white lotus tile that was covered in red paint, which had been dropped at the scene of the statue. He reviewed the witnesses reports while thinking about the past attacks. Closing his eyes only one thing came to his mind. "Anarchy."

"Excuse me? What does anarchy have to do with Zaheer and his friends?" she asked confused.

"Not what, who. Back when Batman was still a solo act he encounter an adult calling himself Anarchy. It was during a fight, Batman realized he was a kid. Turned out to be a 14 year old prodigy named Lonnie Machine. This guy was well educated in radical philosophy, wanting to overthrow governments to improve social conditions. Kid is fixated on political issues ranging from environmentalism to global corruption of world leaders. This kid was genius who used poor people to carry out his attacks on issues." Smiling a bit Jason admitted that he liked Anarchy's direct approach and understood a bit what the kid was thinking. "Still sometimes he pushed issues to far hurting innocent people in his crusades to right what he believed to be a violation of his philosophy. Anarchy symbol was a red A in a circle. It kind of reminds me of the dropped piece. It's common for splinter groups to form from an organization if their philosophies change."

"So Zaheer's group could be a splinter group with an agenda that doesn't fit with what is consider normal in society. Can't be sure until we talk to them, but it gives me something to think about. Thank you," she said gratefully, taking back the reports. She settled into her chair as she thought about the best way to answer Jason's question.

Jason shrugged his shoulders, it was no big deal, but he was still happy someone asked for his opinion. His limbs could move again so he swung his legs waiting for her to explain his spiritual energy lines. It took a few minutes for her to figure out what to say.

"Hoa once told me that spiritual energy can reveal fate if one looks close enough at it. Your fate is on a precipice, your choice will determine a crucial moment in your life. One, of an unbroken line with a new life, and the other, which I can only determine is death to life again," she narrowed her eyes as the words she left unspoken echoed in his mind. Somehow the Joker and Ra's al Ghul had tied to one of his future which seemed bleak. "I can't tell you what to do, but I can give you one piece of advice. Don't let your anger guide you. I know now your life is confusing. I still wish to believe deep down you know what your need, not what you want, in your life." The two heroes stood up and called the animals back to them. Looking at the position of the sun, they hadn't realized that it was late afternoon. They had spent most of the day together.

* * *

Night fell fast as the city closed up for the night. Korra was so tired after the events of the day she crashed on top of the bed. The pups still had a lot of energy and were playing roughly with each other. A growl from their mother made them calm down. The door started to turn making her swish her head, only to calm down when Kilchii entered. She gave him a look of amusement with a soft woof.

"I know, I know, we're not supposed to sleep in the same room until we're married, but I'm worried about her. Can I at least sleep on the floor next to her?" he asked petting Naga's head. Naga nuzzled him and indicating a spot on the floor. The pups circled around him keeping him warm. Yawning he fell asleep on her floor, his quiver and bow, pushed under the bed.

It was a few hours later, when Silaluk opened her eyes. She raised her single wolf ear up as she took a deep breath. Her sense of smell was stronger than either of her parents, thanks to the Venom enhanced DNA, from her father. Something was wrong as she quietly crept over to the window. She watched as some kind of water limb cut a circle open in the glass. Her instincts told her to wait and hide, only strike when the time was right. She backed up, hiding behind a couple of tables. Silently she watched, as her mother and siblings, got shot with darts. Korra and Kilchii woke up and started to attack, but both were soon captured. As the intruders hurried away with the two of them, Silaluk crept outside.

She swiftly made her way to the houses of the Young Justice members. She shoved open the door, racing over to Roy's bed. She pulled off his blanket, before jumping on the bed licking his face furiously while whining. Roy instantly woke up, trying to shove the pup off. "Go to sleep you big fur ball, wait? Why are you in my room instead of with your mother? Hey where's Kilchii?" His eyes widen as he saw a group of four run past his house carrying his brother and Korra! He raced outside, mask on, yelling into his ear com, "Emergency! Abduction in progress! Everyone wake up!"

Leveling his arm he fired a widespread laser beam stopping the intruders in their tracks. P'Li shot a combustion beam as he ducked behind a metal statue. Peeking around the corner, he threw two electric weighted nets only for Zaheer to cut them in half with a powerful slice. They prepared another attack when a fire lash and earth bullets pounded them from their left side. P'Li and Ghazan dealt with it just as the search lights came on.

"So much for the element of surprise. Time for Plan B. Retreat!" The gang rushed towards a hidden exit trying to avoid a fight when sharp projectiles cut deep into Ming-Hua shoulder blades. As blood trickled down her arms started to lose small amounts of water. Somebody, in a red and black costume, jumped down and did a spin kick to her head before punching a few times in the chest. Drawing her water together she used the pressurized water pulse to knock Robin II off his feet. It was only thanks to his special blended uniform that he wasn't cut in half.

By this time Su, her twin sons, and Lin had joined the fight as Asami headed for shelter with the brothers to assess any injuries. Static was flying in air using his powers to magnetizing the metal panels as the security force appeared. They were attempting to secure the group in a metal box. Asami slid behind the earth shield just as they trapped the intruders. "What's going on? Who are these people?" She checked Bolin first before fussing over her boyfriend, who kept pushing himself up to look over towards the box, waiting for to see what happened next.

"Probably Zaheer and his friends. I don't know how they got here, but we need to get Korra and Kilchii back ASAP," Mako said. Bolin quickly raised more walls of earth as everyone started to take shelter seeing the panels starting to melt.

There was loud rumbling and suddenly a lava field appeared around the box. Static had to dart to the ground as the partially metal panels went flying. The terrorist group was on the only island in the middle of the lava field. The guards moved in to take them, but got forced back by combustion blasts, ice discs and lava rocks. Static tried to move to unleash his static flash, only to retreat as a two strong winds tried to crashland him in the lava. He jumped to the ground folding up his flying disc. "Yo, I wouldn't recommend that again!

Zaheer was starting to believe they hadn't thought hard enough about these new heroes. "I'm going to create some cover! Be ready to move ah choke ah," Robin II had thrown some sleep gas bombs at the group, hoping they succumb to the gas quickly. But it didn't work, Zaheer bended the gas at the guards causing them to fall asleep as he flew around on his glider trying to force everyone to sleep. Luckily, Young Justice and Team Avatar, had gas masks that protected them.

"There's no way to get close! I can't even get in there without risk of damaging my wings," Bumblebee's tiny voice said. She had been hiding next to Su and Lin trying to find a way across. "If I go in normal size I'll be a sitting duck."

"If we can't get across, then we'll drop down from above. Someone needs to interrupt the fire girl so her combustion is temporarily interrupted," Su stated. Looking at the roof she could see the perfect place to open the hatch. "We're going to need a big distraction to keep them from noticing."

"No worries, I'm sure we can cause a big enough distraction. Robin II, you have a surprises left in that utility belt of yours?" Static asked. The boy nodded with a wicked grin. Even _Batman _didn't know everything he had. "Good we'll provide the distraction. Arsenal, this may be our only chance to capture Zaheer. Think you and Asami can handle it?"

"No problem, especially with Silaluk with us. Let's go!"

* * *

Zaheer was easily handling the security force. With a strong current the air was working against the security force locking them in place. Soon, the currents keeping them down became a surprisingly strong updraft. The security force was sent sky-high and falling. Their metal armor came loose heading towards the ground, Zaheer started running around creating a mini tornado. The metal and the soldiers were flying around one another. The armor pieces getting shredded while getting sharper and more dangerous. Some such Kuvira, Head of Security, tried to bend the metal back at Zaheer, but it moved too fast for her to get a real good hold on it.

"The philosophy of potential and humanitarianism is a lofty one. True, many would benefit from it, but as long as people such as this Metal Clan isolate themselves from the world, then your own beliefs turn against you. Why improve your potential if no else can improve their own to challenge you?" Zaheer hissed, running faster and faster, making the tornado smaller and smaller. More blood spilled and soon the soldiers would be dead. "It appears your philosophy can only take you so far."

"I would debate about that Baldy!" Arsenal shouted over the wind. Springing into the air he released dozens of tiny spiked marble size balls. Creating an air shield the projectiles fell to the wayside. Zaheer was smirking until he saw the bigger smirk on Arsenal's face. Pressing a small button the spikes of the metal balls exploded directly in front of him. They tore his clothes while shredding part of his shoe. His bald head received grazing streaks creating a bloody scared outline of an arrow on his forehead.

It was too much for Zaheer as he fell to the ground releasing the prisoners. Asami moved in, jumping over a boulder, reaching out with her electro glove at him. Zaheer grabbed her arm stopping one attack; forgetting her other hand was free as she delivered a hard left hook. Twisting about Asami tried to strike again only for her to hold her ground as he tried to uproot her. She held firm as Arsenal continued his attacks.

With Zaheer distracted he didn't see Silaluk coming up from behind. She pounced on him with her big front paws shoving him to the ground. She tried to bite and scratch him, as he twisted around to block her. "Be gone you stupid beast!" A powerful vortex sent her flying. Too bad Zaheer hadn't noticed what she had bitten at; as Silaluk flew backwards with most of his manhood in her mouth. That was a seriously damaging attack that he hadn't noticed yet.

* * *

"ZAHEER! We have to help! They'll kill him!" P'Li shouted. She ducked and fired another combustion beam as three more electric balls came at them. She shifted to protect Ming-Hua. The waterbender was determined to kill the little brat who was evading her attacks and who threw knifes so fast in return that her hair was half chopped off. "Don't these pests ever die?!" Ming-Hua demanded.

"Ladies, I can't keep this up forever. We need to get out of here soon with our prizes or risk capture," Ghazan told them as he stood up to fire lava bombs. At their feet Korra and Kilchii were starting to wake up. Their eyesight was blurry and they felt heavy. Neither of their spirits could speak to them. Helplessness fell over them.

Suddenly Korra felt someone grabbing and pulling her up just in time to avoid an explosion. Lin and Su allowed their grappling lines to pull them back up thanks to the twins, but Ming-Hua wrapped a tentacle around Lin's boot casing it in ice. The Chief of Police fought as she got pulled down when a few sparks of light struck the ice breaking it. Seeing their prey escaping, Zaheer left his fight souring into the air after the two prizes. Su missed by inches in trying to shred the glider's wings. Zaheer, was just in reach of Kilchii when a flash of light and giant bee was hovering before him.

"Not today you failed excuse of a man!" Bumblebee said wiggling her finger. She flew above him using her stingers to blast holes in the glider and gave him a sharp kick in the butt causing him to fall into his lover's arm. The terrorist shouted retreat. A thick cloud of dust filled the air and then vanished along with Zaheer's group.

* * *

The next morning a full investigation was underway to determine how Zaheer's group had gotten inside the city and why they knew their way around the compound. The simplest answer was that they had inside help. So Su had instructed Aiwei to conduct interviews to determine who the betrayer was. The first ones he wanted to interview was Young Justice. They were not happy.

"You are certifiable crazy if you think we had anything to do with last night! We only arrived her a little over two weeks ago, Korra didn't even make contact with our world until two and half years ago!" Roy pointed out. He continued to argue that they had limit contact and that consisted of Tenzin, the airbenders and of course their other teammates. "It's completely illogical to believe that we had anything to do with last night."

Aiwei frowned, keeping his hands behind his back he was carefully maneuvering them closer to the chairs so he could activate their metal restraints. "Since your arrival you've been keeping secrets from us. Your actions last night, while heroic could simply be a way to cover up your involvement with terrorist. I have testimony by guards, about this rude boy," he spoke gesturing towards Jason who resisted giving him the finger, "that he was discussing anarchy in the courtyard."

"Hey, don't be pointing fingers at me dude. Korra was also there and she was asking for an opinion about those freaks!" he retorted angrily. "I know I'm not polite society's favorite person, but I don't turn my back on my friends ever!"

"What about your friends, each of them seem to have their own encounters that make me suspicious. Even you Mr. Harper, should have been locked up after that fight I heard about." Aiwei shifted his foot causing them to stumble into the chairs. A second later they all had their restraints holding them tightly. Guards stood by ready to subdue them if they should resist.

"ENOUGH! Aiwei, release them at once! I'm certain they have done nothing to earn this treatment," Su demanded. She watched as the teens were released as they rubbed their limbs to get feeling back in them. Su looked at her adviser with a deep frown. "I understand you're just doing your job, but I told you that our guests were not to be interrogated." She gestured to the kids to follow her outside the room telling Aiwei she'd be back in a few minutes.

"Thanks Ms. Beifong. I was afraid that I electrify myself if my fear got the better of me. Hey, is there anything we can do for you?" Virgil asked, fixing his hair. The others also were trying to fix their clothing after being roughed up.

The Matriarch looked around then beckoned them closer before whispering. "Korra and Kilchii informed me that you have tech to do a more thorough investigation. I trust Aiwei with my life, but just to be certain he's not being fooled, I wish you to do an independent investigation. You'll report your findings to Lin, who will discuss them with me later. Be careful, the traitor is still among us." She straightened up and with nod the team left as she rejoined her truth seer.

* * *

Switching into costumes, the four friends began their investigation, starting in Korra's room. Naga had gone for a run, but the pups had stayed, wanting to help. With their enhanced senses, they would be a big help. Bumblebee found the shishu's darts. She looked it over carefully to avoid being pricked. Zooming in with her goggles, she spied what she was looking for.

"This one has two sets of prints. I'm assuming one is a match to Zaheer, he shot them, but the thumb and index on the back of the dart is someone else's." She removed her goggles as she deposited the dart in an evidence bag. "Considering there are two prints, theirs two probabilities. One, another member of the gang touched them when they made them, or more likely, the traitor handed them over after letting them in."

There was no clues inside the house, so they examined the outside. They found footprints outside the window. Seeing them, Static suddenly realized something. "Hey hommes, why are all the prints here? Normally Red Arrow would be sleeping in his room with Arsenal. There's no indication they even went in that direction."

Robin II looked through his heat vision goggles. Thanks to the heat from the lava there was a residual heat trail. He could see the fading trail. One trail led up through the city towards the guest houses, zeroing on Korra's house. The other headed towards the standoff. Removing his goggles, he ponder something. "They couldn't go back the same way once they raised the alarm. So why head this way?"

"I'll scan it and give you an answer." A blue beam of light swept the courtyard and the walls via his prosthetic. Looking at the readings a slight frown formed on his face like he couldn't believe this. Bringing up his real hand he knocked hard, letting them all hear an echo. "There's a secret passage way over here."

It wasn't in the blueprints of the city, and by the look of the metal and the depth it went down, the passage ws created one day before the attack. An alternate escape route. Static used his powers to pull the entrance open and keep the lights shining as they went down. The pups following growling all the way. When the blood trail ended at a large fork in the path they sniffed and woofed in two series of barks.

Robin II knelt down and used his light stick to take a closer look at the footprints. "It appears someone came here to help them. I see a few microscopic drops of blood, but there should be more considering how badly they were hurt."

Kallik squeezed through the mess and started pawing at the wall on the left side. Out of the rock came used medical supplies and a blob of frozen blood. Bumblebee shrunk a little feeling the damp earth and using her stingers to open a small hole in the frozen blood. Thanks to the Atom, she had a basic handle on biology. "This frozen blood is only a five hours old. They were hiding down here trying to prevent blood loss. With only meager supplies I don't know if they could have managed to heal," she said holding her chin in her hand. She knew waterbender could heal if taught the skills. Perhaps Ming-Hua knew how to heal, but she seemed more combative then risking losing her water limbs. Getting bigger she informed them of her findings and her suspicions.

"It fits with what the dogs are saying. Taqqiq keeps barking four times as the path continues down. It's a clear indication that the four moved on after the person Silaluk picking up came with supplies to heal," Static said.

"A person who walks barefoot, who's a master bender, and can go anywhere he wants without suspicion," Arsenal stated deadly. The same thought came to them at once. Aiwei was the traitor. Arsenal was ready to go back to see Lin, when he paused. Their evidence was circumstantial at best. They had nothing to compare his fingerprints with, anyone in the city could gain access to the medical supplies, and a few bare footed prints and master bending wouldn't be enough for Su.

* * *

"We need to catch Aiwei in the act. Get invaluable evidence he's the one. All in favor of falling these tracks to see where the side road ends raise your hands," Arsenal asked. The others nodded as the pups held their head high. They cautiously made their way up the trail, the pups in the lead to make sure they didn't run into underground gas. They finally reached the end of the trail. It was covered in earth, so they couldn't get out. Robin II pulled a digger machine from his pouch and started digging a way out. The pups fell into line until digging until they could see the sky and smell fresh air. Helping one another out the pups went into defense position as they circled the nearby house.

"City records confirm this property is owned by Aiwei. This tunnel leads from his side yard to the juncture. I'm also picking up another trail leading directly from the house down and over towards the nearby hills. He's got an escape route," Bumblebee stated.

"We need to get inside and look for more evidence. There's a back door we can use. Let's go." They entered the house through the back, stealthily made their way inside the house. Before they could reach the main room, they heard the sounds of someone furiously packing. Everyone leaned against the wall and slowed down their breathing. Even the pups became silent.

Aiwei was not aware of his guests, too distracted to even use his special bending. He had to get out of here now! Su believed him about the guard, but Team Avatar wasn't so sure. He had also not seen the heroes, causing him to panic. "Need to get out of here. Rejoin the main team. Can't leave anything behind!" he mumbled to himself. He looked out the window and saw Team Avatar coming this way. Cursing his luck, he blocked the front door he open the secret passage to his escape tunnel. Before he could lift his foot to get in the metal door twisted around pinning his arms. Electricity pulse keeping it magnetize. "What in the world? You!"

"Hey Aiwei, not trying to cut and run are you? That's a bad idea when you have heroes after you," Static said off hand. He reached inside his jacket sucking the juice from his stored batter back, powering himself up so he keep his hold on the man.

Aiwei sneered. "You so called children heroes, no nothing of what's to come. I'll gladly enjoy seeing you die!" Aiwei quickly bent the floor so a thin stalagmite freed himself. He started to hurdle ceramics at the group and tried to bury them in the earth. Static was running and suddenly he felt himself sinking in the ground with Arsenal. Their prey started shaking the house hoping to collapse on them. From outside, Team Avatar witnessed the crumbling house and hurried to keep it standing.

A metal chip storm whirled around keeping Robin II at bay. He held one arm to protect his face and threw a batarang at his opponent who tried to bend it, but it was too pure. It nicked his leg as he turned to run. Bumblebee and the pups went after him.

Aiwei was racing for his life, not wanting to be caught. He twisted and bent more tunnels. Even bending up secure metal sheets to slow their progress. It slowed them down, but didn't stop him. Soon the pups attack! The girls went after his legs and Taqqiq raced around behind to bite his butt. Bumblebee was stinging him the best she could. "You're not going to get way like your friends."

"Oh, how…can…you ahhhh…stop me!" The earth shifted and compressed. Bumblebee tried to fly away from the approaching prison balls, but couldn't get away. She got trapped in a small one that kept shrinking. Panic flooded her as she fought to breath. Grabbing her rebreather from her pocket she knew she only a half an hour of air left. If someone didn't find her she would be dead.

After what felt like an eternity her prison crumble. "I found her, I told you I would." Grateful, she returned to full size and hugged Bolin, even giving him a kiss on the cheek. "Thank you! I was afraid I was a goner."

"I'm glad we found you in time, Su was worrying about you so we went to look for you," Korra explained. They had talked with Varrick who convinced them to check out Aiwei. They had managed to save everyone, but Aiwei was gone. Even the tracer Robin II had tried to place in his hand had failed. They found it a few feet further down crushed. Looked like Aiwei was the winner of this round.

* * *

It was early in the night and all was peaceful at the Northern Air Temple. Today had been another great session. Tenzin was finally getting through to his students. After the bison incident and his wife's pep talk, the airbending master finally realized why people had resisted him. His parents always said he was too serious for his own good and that he expected everyone to act like him. Even after reuniting with his father in the Spirit World, he still had trouble with becoming his own person.

The one important aspect of Air Nomad culture he never mastered was fun. Even as they sought enlightenment, many air nomads had loved playing games such as pai sho and air ball. Adults and children would play pranks on one another. They had smiled a lot, and when traveling tried to do the right thing with others while taking a little time to relax. Tenzin had never done anything like that before, realizing finally why his dad had taken him on those little vacations. He wanted his son to understand the other side of his Air Nomad heritage.

So, instead of forcing the children to learn entirely about their new culture, he asked the nuns to teach them all about the other cultures while making it a game for the kids to match facts about what was happening in different nations in the same time. They also had recesses to play air ball.

The training sessions had also become fun. Tenzin started to praise the new airbenders and even help them out when they had troubles. They had community meals where he allowed the other cultures to eat familiar food along with their vegetarian platters. He took them around the Northern Air Temple showing them the artifacts catching their interests. All the while the Young Justice members continued to patrol and help out. Finally, the airbenders had started to embrace their culture.

Up in the radio tower Bettie, Cassie, and Mal sat waiting for a call from Zaofu. The door opened as Tenzin strolled in. He dismissed the young monk telling him to get some sleep. Once he was gone he anxiously started wringing his hands. "Still no word from Zaofu? It's not like Korra or Lin not to report in for two days. Do you think something happened?"

Mal shrugged his big shoulders. They hadn't heard from their friends either. Roy was a real stickler to protocol so it was pretty unusual to not hear from them. Mal looked down at Tenzin's wrist seeing a small glow. "Hmm, Mr. Tenzin?" Tenzin looked at Mal questioning look. The black teen pointed to his wrist as a soft light was seen. Pushing his sleeve up, he saw his special bracelet glowing. There was burst of energy and suddenly a viewing portal appeared in the air.

"Hello? Hello anyone there? Is this thing working?" Bolin's face appeared. They watched him rapidly tapping his bracelet gem. He shook it a few times. Mako grabbed his wrists, "Hey its working we can see them right there," he pointed to the viewing portal. "Try to pay a little more attention okay?" Bolin muttered something that he was currently distracted with worry, but Mako just ignored him.

"Mako, why are you contacting us via the viewing portals? Are you children driving? What happened at Zaofu and where are Korra and Kilchii?"

A second viewing portal opened joining with the first. Now they could see that Asami was driving the jeep with the bending brothers in the back. Mako was looking at a map as they continued to travel. Korra was buckled in the passenger seat meditating if the glow on her jewelry was any indication. Red Arrow and Arsenal lead the group riding on Naga. Keeping pace with the jeep were the pups with Static, Robin II, and Bumblebee on them.

"Sorry about doing this on the run, but we've lost a day already trying to track Zaheer. Hopefully Aiwei is running to join up with them," Bumblebee panted. She shook nearly falling off Kallik's back, the pup used her tail to push the girl back on her back. The teen hero thanked her, giving the pup an energy biscuit. After all this, was the first marathon run with passengers aboard for the pups. They had less stamina and speed then their parents due to their age, but kept pushing themselves to keep up.

"Zaheer was in Zaofu and Aiwei was helping him? That's harsh," Cassie remarked. "Su must be feeling super betrayed. Is that the reason your tracking him down?"

"Yeah Lin want us to wait, whoa calm down little Taqqiq, but you don't say no to the Matriarch of the Metal Clan. She practically shoved us out the door. I'll give you cliff notes. Zaheer and his pals break in and take the happy couple. Big battle ensures. Young Justice does their own investigation. Nearly catch traitor before he gave us the slip," Static informed them. He tossed another electric ball to light the trail further up. The landscape was changing as they continued at their fast pace.

"Do you want us to come and assist you? The airship is slow, but we could catch up in a day or two. Once you tell us your location," Bettie asked. It didn't take her expert body language reading skills to know that both teams were afraid and cautious about what they were doing. "I assume you manage to injure them right? Still, these terrorist haven't gone down yet. They have a lot of stored energy left to burn off."

* * *

Tenzin had concerns about the teams tracking down someone who already escaped once. If they found Zaheer's group, could they actually beat them this time. Turning his attention to Korra he watched as her eyes open glowing white. She spoke only it wasn't her voice. It was female's, soft and light, with a bit of hard edge. **"I am Avatar Yangchen channeling myself through Korra. She need information about the dark Air Nomad history and sadly Avatar Aang doesn't have the answers, he was too young to learn them before the genocide." **

Tenzin was very confused as he approached the portal. "Avatar Yangchen, how can the Air Nomad's have any dark history? Our culture goes back thousands of years with only small changes over time. I have studied our history extensively, there is no darkness in our history," he stated firmly. He refused to believe his father's culture had kept dark history from the group.

"Um hate to break it to you, but all cultures have some darkness in the history or present. The Amazons history is riddled with it," Cassie remarked at that same time Bettie and Mal pointed out other examples. Whatever dark history the Air Nomads had, it must have been really terrible to keep it hidden.

Korra/Yangchen nodded at the teens appreciating their input. **"I understand how you feel Master Tenzin, but even airbenders have secrets to hide. Only the Council and Air Nomad Avatar learned these secrets when the finished their training." ** A look of sadness appeared on Korra's face. Her hands clasped together in prayer. **"Throughout our history they've been many great airbending masters. Our own spiritual enlightenment has prevented us from most illnesses. Except for ones whose mind betrayed them, turning them mad and dangerous. These airbenders faced terrible consequences." **

The jeep stopped and so did the animals. All of them looked at Korra/Yangchen waiting for her to continue. "What do you mean they lost their minds? Are you talking about someone with a mental disorder or truly insane?" Red Arrow asked, his hands wrapping tightly around his bow.

"**I assure you that no one with any mental disorder suffered terrible consequences. We helped them and treated them with great care. No, the airbenders I speak of truly lost all reason." **Taking a deep breath she explained the dark history. **"It rare for an Air Nomad to suffer from refusal to bend syndrom, corrupted by their elements, or simply been born without a spiritual center. But it does happen." **

"**Over a thousands of years only twenty five have been dubbed Dark Airbenders. These airbenders committed serious crimes. Creating bending methods to kill or severally injure someone. Others did unspeakable acts of cruelty. The worst of them was an ancient Airbending Master Quan. He took the life of child, tried to overthrow the Council, in order to lead an attack on the other nations." **

Asami blinked struggling to picture airbenders doing these things, then tried to get it out of her mind. She didn't need those images in her mind. Mako reached for hand squeezing it tightly.

"**These Dark Airbenders were difficult to caputer and had to be held in special cells. A trial would commence and a healer would examine the captive. None of the captives showed remorse and the healers couldn't remove their darkness. As much as we believed all life was sacred, these Dark Airbenders couldn't be contained for long, if they escaped, the Council feared they never be caught again or if they were, the damage would already be done." **

Arsenal said what everyone was thinking. "You had them put death didn't you? The only way to ensure that they never harmed anyone ever again." Everyone had looks of disbelief when Korra/Yangchen's head nodded in defeat. **"They would be chained in a way they couldn't free themselves with bending. Then the Council would give them a poison to make them limp before bending them off the mountains/cliff to die. Sometime later we would gather their bones and burn them, before storing their ashes away in a secret room. After that, they would erase the individual from history to keep our nation peaceful."**

"I don't think hiding the truth could prevent something like that from happening again. Their essences much have bonded with Zaheer making him the first Dark Airbending Master in centuries. If he's carrying all that darkness inside, then…" Cassie started to say before Tenzin interrupted her.

"We're in greater danger than we ever thought. Our defensive style will not keep us safe. How can we protect ourselves from him if he comes to the Air Temple to wipe out the Council and me?"

"**The answer lies with the Five Forbidden Winds. A set of five scrolls containing deadly techniques are hidden in the Northern Air Temple. I can tell you were to find them, but it's your choice Master Tenzin if and how you use them. The fate our nation lies in your hands," **Yangchen informed him. She gave him the location before retreating back to the bracelet. Korra yawned and fell back in her seat asleep. A few minutes later the call ended and Tenzin had a terrible choice to make.

* * *

Back in the Young Justice world, Kaldur was practicing against Conner, while M'gann prepared dinner for Wolf and Nanook. Lately, both of them had been acting strange; they would run around and attack phantoms all over the Cave. She swore she sensed them actively trying to use some sort of animal telepathy to communicate with one another.

"Okay, so big chunks of rib, mixed with egg whites, throw in some fish from the sea, and add in a little seasoning. There, you evening meal is finished. Here you go boys, eat up." She levitated the meal down to them. Wolf began to eat with a gusto, but Nanook whined turning his back towards the food.

"That's the third meal you've refused in three days. Aren't you hungry?" Miss Martian asked. She reached out to pet him, but the two and half year old hybrid, just scampered off to sleep. "I don't understand. What's up with him?"

Footsteps and the sound of water dripping alerted her that her friends had finished their training session. Judging by their looks, their spar had ended in a draw. Sphere was trailing behind them, making her usual clicks and whistles. M'gann gave a little giggle at their appearances.

"It's not that funny M'gann. I can't believe I tripped in a puddle. Me, the half Kryptonian lost my balance and fell to the floor."

"If it is any consolation to you, I'm also surprised you managed to hit me with that stray hook causing me to fall too." As they were drying off Wolf went over to Conner whining. His tail was moving about anxiously and he kept turning his massive head towards his son. He started to howl forlornly.

"Hey, Wolf's what's wrong? You seem sad and worried. I wish I knew what was wrong." They heard the sounds of the Zeta Beams activating and heard numbers and names called out. It surprised them all when they heard that all of the old team was back, including Nightwing. They headed to the main room with the animals and Sphere trailing after them.

"Hey Kal, nice to see you. Conner, looking a bit older now. Nice to know that energy bending is still working to allow you to age. Love the new style M'gann, though I preferred it longer," Wally commented lightly. Artemis still punched him gently.

"Sorry, we've missed some training sessions, but you wouldn't belief the amount of homework we're dealing with at Stanford. I hope it's worth it in the end. Hello Zantana, Hello Raquel, surprised you big leaguers coming to grace us in the Cave again."

Raquel gave Artemis a big hug commenting catching up with one another. Zantana took a few steps towards Nightwing. She commented about his improved physical conditioning. He blushed telling her a bit about his training with the True Master and how he enjoyed the hard training.

"It's great to see you all, but why are you all here?" M'gann asked in confused tone. She didn't realize she was levitating until she was back on the ground.

"The same reason I'm guessing Wolf and Nanook are uneasy. Not to mention the frequent calling from Kaldur here." Artemis said off hand. Looking down at their bracelets they knew what had called them all here. Korra.

"I heard you sent the bulk of the team out there. How's my little brother and everyone else doing?" Dick asked curiously after peeling off his mask.

"Surprisingly they are doing well. Most of the tension has passed. They are learning to work together and I believe once back to full strength they'll be able to handle the threat."

"If they stay alive long enough. Wolf is worried for his mate and pups. Nanook keeps trying use his spiritual connection to crossover himself. That's why their acting so weird," Conner replied. They had all heard the reports about the terrorists group of special benders with a hint of what they were about. Many of them were fearful for the safety of the team and the new airbenders.

"I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but we think the Light has made another back up plan incase their intergalactic deal fails," Zantana spoke up. "There still a lot of chatter, but my dad/Dr. Fate, have sensed Klarion trying to punch holes in barriers. He might be looking for access to Korra's world."

"We can't let that happen. No matter what team we're own, we'll never let them take over another world agreed?" Wally asked the group. They all said yeah or woofed. No matter what it took Korra's world would remain untouched and protected by Young Justice.


	6. A sudden Gust

By the time they came to the end of the scent trail everyone was tired and hot. Most of the team moaned when they realized where they had ended up. "You have to be kidding me! We go from an advance city to a desert oasis?" Bolin moaned. "This just makes me want to head straight to the North Pole and I don't even like the extreme cold!"

"Why would the chump want to come to this dump?" Jason questioned as he slipped off his ride. He rummaged in the back of the jeep before pouring fresh water in a large pan. The animals, including Pabu, began to lap it up furiously. "Hope Su packed extra water, or we're in a trouble."

"Do you think he's meeting up with Zaheer and others in town?" Mako asked. Observing the small city he could tell this would be the perfect spot to meet. It was out of the way and not too many people would be asking questions about one another. "We're going to have to go in the city to locate Aiwei."

A sudden gust of wind started stirring up the sand and blowing it directly at the group. The animals ducked their heads keeping their eyes closed. Everyone else, except for Korra, covered their faces as she started to sandbend. Hopefully all the extra practice she'd been doing on her sub bending arts would come in handy now.

Twisting her hands around and around, the sand started to collected in small piles. Gently she shoved it down into the ground. Weaving her hands about a sandcastle formed just as the wind stopped blowing. "That was difficult. It was a lot looser than the sand I buried you in remember?" Korra teased Kilchii. He rolled his eyes remembering their "first date" perfectly. "Well now that's over we can continue on.

"Hold up a minute, something got stuck in the jeep's wipers," Asami stated. It was a crumbled piece of paper that stuck tight to the windshield, a few tugs on it and the paper came loose. Carefully she unfolded it her pale skin going paler. "Um we might have a problem here. Take a look."

It was a wanted poster with all of Team Avatar's pictures and empirical data on them. Also there were sketches of the Young Justice team. Obviously Hou-Ting hadn't got a snapshot of them, with her Dai Li down for the count, she must have forced the royal portrait maker to do the sketches because they were somewhat decent, but not perfect.

Kilchii took one look at that and swore a curse that Team Avatar didn't even know about. Finding and observing Aiwei had just become nearly impossible. "The Misty Palms Oasis is a known hang out for bounty hunters. If we set one foot in that town, they'll be all over us like bees to honey. Even our status wouldn't exempt us from the Queen's direct orders."

Roy snatched the wanted poster studying the sketches intensely. His picture along with Virgil's had the most accuracy. Karen could go into town if she let her hair down, and if, Jason wiped that smirk off his face and wore some decent clothes, both of them could pass undetected. He voiced his plan with only one objection from Mako pointing out Aiwei would recognize their heart beats.

"It's not a problem, our costumes boots are made out of a stealth material designed to help us go anywhere without leaving a trace of our identity anywhere," Karen assured him already undoing her buns and whistling for Naga. Understanding the need for privacy Korra and Asami also joined her behind a rock formation to help with getting out of her normal civvies into her Earth Kingdom casual look once more.

Jason ducked behind another rock and tossing clothes all over the place. Some of it fell on top of Mako and Bolin, but the dirty underwear hit Roy right in the face. Virgil couldn't even keep a straight face laughing his head off. Roy was steaming as Jason stepped out again. His hair now arranged in that society look Batman insisted on when he was at school. He forced himself to smile nicely while making sure his green eyes didn't betray his true thoughts. He looked halfway decent, but wasn't sure about this. "I think we'll need at least some back up. We'll need some bending power to keep the locals off our backs."

Mako, Kilchii, and Roy got ready to protest, but their girlfriends interrupted them. Asami pointed out that Bolin was known for being a movie star and people would want his autograph, not a bounty on him. Korra added that to find an earthbender, you needed an earthbender. So Bolin pulled on a clean shirt and the three of them headed into town.

* * *

Upon entering the town, no one gave them as much as second glance. Their first stop was the tavern. Some of the citizens looked up at them. A few stared at Bolin, wondering why he looked familiar, then just dismissed him. They approached the bar. "Welcome worthy travelers. I hope you enjoyed your travels to taste the Misty Oasis Ice Cold fruit drinks. What can I get you?"

"Three Apple Mango drinks please," Bolin order, he placed the money Asami had lent him on the counter. Soon they were all sipping on delicious ice-cold drinks. "This is the best tasting drink I've ever had, and I've had some drinks in the past," Jason informed him.

"Thanks, a bald old guy came in here last night insulted my food. Said I was lying about it being a special of the tavern. I wanted to kick him out, but I couldn't. He was paying more than double for the drinks." The trio didn't even blink or raise an eyebrow upon hearing that. "He didn't even leave a tip after he finished insulting my drinks."

"What a shame, some people have no manners at all," Jason stated politely. He gently set his cup down to give back to the bartender, but he insisted on giving him a free refill along with the others for hearing him out.

"So I'm curious why a trio of teenagers would be on their own and here in this town. What are your plans?"

"We thought it would be interesting to see some of the same places Avatar Aang visited during his training. They also mentioned spirits had settled here and we wanted to see if it was true," Karen informed him, she carefully observed the other patrons. No one seemed interested in what they were saying. She gently nudged Bolin, cueing him to action.

"I'm also looking for the right location for our next movie I'll be in. Even though Varrik is a fugitive, certain investors took over that project. Their goal is to make all sorts of movies for different ages and unique genres for everyone."

The bartender snapped his fingers. He knew he recognized that kid. Bolin was a big star out here, his movies had really raised the spirits of the residents and they all wanted an autograph. Upon learning his companions also happened to be his assistants in the movie business they all pitched in to help them get rooms, but swore not to tell anyone about their little oasis becoming the possible set for the movie.

The three infiltrators settled in their room. They had called the rest of the team telling them to come in after dark. They would spend the rest of the day observing Aiwei, keeping them updated on his activities. They were told to be cautious and not doing anything rash. Also they shouldn't engage the man himself without back up.

"We got it no problem. We'll see you later." Bolin looked sad for the moment. "I feel bad getting the hopes of this town up, knowing theirs no movie."

"Well I brought my mini spy cam. I could film the town and our adventure for a while. Asami could make sure it makes the big screen so you wouldn't be lying," Jason said, which made Bolin feel a lot better. He took first shift as Karen learned how to play pai sho from the earthbender.

* * *

About an hour late,r Aiwei opened the door to his room. He looked around furiously before heading out. He was walking hurriedly with intent. "He's on the move. You two stay here, I'll track him," Jason told them. As soon as Aiwei was out of sight, he climbed out the window and scurried on to the roof.

Jumping rooftops without being seen was easy. He'd been doing this before he got adobted by Batman. He kept his spy cam running, to see if it caught anything of interest. Besides, he did say he help Bolin keep his promise, and he was starting to understand how much that meant to someone. He came to a stop on a roof overlooking a small market place. He looked down spying his target. His hand went to his belt when suddenly a whole bunch of tiny moths' spirits latched on to him as he snarled at them. "Get off me you cretins! I'm trying to run surveillance over here."

The little moths didn't stop, they dug in tighter. A slight numbing effect caused him to calm down and be still. Two tiny bird like spirits perched on the ledge. Aiwei was staring at the rooftop, but could see nothing. "Do you have any street rats living on rooftops?"

"Your mind is going if you think that we'd let a bunch of orphans live on top of our homes without paying rent. Since the spirits came to live here, their always playing harmless tricks. You probably just fell for one of their illusions. Now do you want the incense or not?" The shopkeeper demanded. The truth seer didn't sense him lying so he bought the incense before heading to the flower store.

The two little birds squawked at the moths, ordering them to take the boy back to the inn. They would track the truth seer. Flying silently, they pursued the old man determined to figure out what he was up too. They phased through the walls hiding among the flower pots at the store. Aiwei was arguing with the owner. "I was told I could get a red lotus here! Why are they not in stock?"

"Please understand sir, its difficult to cultivate in this dry climate. Lotus flowers need plenty of water to grow in and make sure they can regulate their temperature. The different colored lotus all bloom at different times. It's unfortunate, but your red ones are also out of season."

"You are lying. There is one left in this store. I want it."

"Sir, that lotus has already been bought. My assistant hasn't come back yet to deliver it. A middle age man, wanted to give it as a gift to his love. I simply can't give it to you."

Before Aiwei could cause a scene he spotted a second red lotus, hidden among the top shelf. Not bothering to question his luck he bought the flower and headed back to the inn. "Zaheer, why are you making it so difficult to enter Xai Bau's Grove? No matter I can ask him tonight myself. These symbols will help find the exact location easily."

* * *

The bird spirits heard enough. Chirping, the larger of the birds' headed out of town as the smaller one followed Aiwei. The big bird started to change shape, becoming bigger and solid. A new spirit, a jeweled covered pink butterfly materialized into existence. On the ground a large bear crossed the divide.

The others waited at the car impatiently. "Ugh, what is taking so long? I'm overheating over here. Do we still have canteens of water?" Roy inquired. Mako, who had taken a big drink, tossed the canteen over to Roy. The young man didn't waste time gulping down the rest of the canteen.

"Hey, stop using up our water like that. We need to conserve our water. We don't know how long we'll be out here!" Virgil snapped. Thanks to his ancestors the sun was hurting his skin as much.

Asami, who had been cleaning sand out of the engine, bumped her head as she tried to extract herself. "Ow! I'm okay, but I thought I heard something coming this way." Korra felt Raava stir inside her as her necklace and bracelet lit up. Varuna's markings appeared as they smiled. It appeared old friends had decided to drop down for a visit. A few seconds later the group was encircled by spirits.

Korra held out a cupped hand as the butterfly spirit came to rest in it. She gave a little trill before rubbing her proboscis against the girl's hand. "Bejewel! It's so nice to see you again. How's Hoa doing?"

Kilchii hugged his spirit guide, Fenghuang the Dragon Bird wrapped his giant wings around his human. "I've missed you buddy, I haven't seen you in some time." It was a happy reunion. The others started to make friends with all the little spirits, surprised by how friendly they were.

Hei Bai was getting a lot of attention and scratching from the others. Virgil even got him some fresh bamboo from who knows where and gave it to him. A crackling of their earcoms alert them that something was going seemed the trio had been joined by the moths and second bird spirit. They had made them naked to the visible eye so Aiwei didn't see them when he had returned. It seemed the moths were trying to communicate, but none of the trio understood them.

"Bejewel, why are you here instead with Hoa? I thought she mention that you would be helping her with her training in her spirit powers?" Korra frowned. "Come to think about it, we're far from the Senlin Forest. Isn't that your main domain Hei Bei? Your strongest when you're there."

The spirits started talking all at once. Kilchii asked to calm down. He asked his spirit guide to explain what was going on. Fenghuang stood tall and spoke. _"In the last few days, the spirits who have settled here became very frightened. The townspeople and they have come to an understanding, but recent travelers have spooked them." _

"Why? How could a few humans frightened them?" Kilchii asked puzzled. Then his eyes widened. "Can they feel darkness coming from them?" The dragon bird nodded. _"They felt benders whose unique gifts terrified them. A few barely escaped capture. Sensing you nearby they have done what they could to keep you and your companions safe. We learned that earthbender of truth is attempting to meet this dark benders in a sacred spirit grove tonight." _

Bejewel started trilling. She was fearful for her friend and other spirits. They'd be driven from the grove by thick black winds. Strange red flowers had also been popping up randomly in the area. They wanted the changes to stop before they're home was gone.

Hei Baiwalked over to Korra and Kilchii speaking his strange bear language. He offered to take them to the Xai Bau Grove later tonight, when spirits in the area gathered to assist them. Under no circumstances was he letting parts of his territory from being overrun by evil. Korra and Kilchii agreed to help them. Their plan to catch Aiwei and the others just had a new element added to it.

* * *

That night the rest of the group, save the animals who stayed to guard the jeep, sneaked into the adjoining rooms next to the one Bolin had rented. If they all sat in the same room there would be no room for anyone to move. The moths had scattered outside patrolling the area around the inn for signs of danger. Bejewel and Fenghuang sat in the rafters as the team went over the plan one more time.

"Are you absolutely sure this is the only way we can catch Aiwei and Zaheer? Aiwei, is right across the courtyard, why not just grab him now?" Bolin asked nervously. He was frightened that something would go wrong, ending in great injury or even death.

Mako put a hand on his brother, squeezing it reassuringly. "I know you're fearful, but this may be the only way to find Zaheer and protect the spirits from harm." He looked through the doors to the other groups. Static and Robin II had moved into the room on the left where Kilchii would be meditating in. On the room on the right the girls had finished setting up. If anyone came looking for the Avatar or the Spirit's Champion; it was up to Mako, Bolin, and Arsenal to prevent the capture of their two friends, while their guards tried to spirit them away.

Fenghuang fluttered down from the rafters landing on his human's shoulders as Bejewel did the same. Moonlight started coming into the room as the two humans started to meditate. Gathering strength from the moon, the spirits shifted in to the Spirit World while directing the human souls to exactly where they needed to go.

A few seconds later Red Arrow and Avatar materialized in their uniforms instead of their civilian wear. This was good a thing considering the danger in this mission. A few feet away they could see two spirits waiting for them. Obviously one was Hei Bai, but they couldn't make out the other until the actually reached them.

"HOA! I didn't expect to see you here!" Avatar shouted in delight. The half spirit girl launched herself at Avatar hugging her tightly. "What are you doing here? I thought that you would be with your mother or at the very least, returned home to the Foggy Swamp."

"Nice to see you to girl. Wow, Kilchii, you look so hot now. Being the Spirit's Champion agrees with you." Hoa ducked and formed a mist to protect her from the Spirit's Champion swatting hand. "I'm just playing. Actually, I sensed something happening in this direction." Holding out her hand her spirit guide returned to her. She went on to explain that she gave her mother the slip, sneaking off into this direction. Having seen many tiny spirits flee, she had sent Bejewel to the real world, hoping to find Korra and bring her here.

"I want to help, but Hei Bai won't let me approach the grove. He keeps saying that it's too dangerous for me. I know I'm only half spirit, but I'm here physically not in spirit!" she insisted. She twisted her sheath and stared them down trying to convince them to let her come, but they wouldn't budge. "Oh come on, why not?"

Avatar held Hoa's hand. "There is dark airbending master waiting in that grove. His group wiped out the Northern Water Tribe city and killed my cousin Desna. He escaped from Air Temple Island and he almost got away with kidnapping us. You need to go home and alert your father to the possibility of danger. Please, I don't want to see you get hurt again."

Hoa reluctantly nodded. Levitating in the air, she and spirit guide left in search of her mother. Hei Bai gestured with his paw as the two heroes followed him. They carefully made their way through the grove trying to be silent. Ever few feet they would come across a small spirit. They kept running away or hid under Hei Bai. He would nuzzle them assuring them before padding forward.

"No wonder he was chosen to be the Guardian Spirit of the Earth Kingdom and the Sennlin forest. He's both tough and gentle at the same time," Red Arrow whispered. Avatar nodded, just as they came to a sudden stop. Hei Bai was growling as the girl grabbed her boyfriend pulling him down. They had reached their destination. A few feet ahead of them in a clearing, Aiwei and Zaheer spoke in harsh tones to one another. Zaheer had filled in his arrow shape scar with crimson colored ink and sported them on his hands. Around his neck was the stolen locket, judging by his pallor he still hadn't recovered from losing some of his manhood yet.

Red Arrow turned to Fenghuang, who had shifted into his baby form as four separate chicks, to go unseen, waited patiently for instructions. Just then he felt and heard Hei Bai changing into his monstrous form as Avatar gasped. Turning back to the conversation he saw only Zaheer wiping his hands and whispering good riddance. Aiwei was dead! As the man turned to leave, Hei Bai burst out in a full run raising a paw at the man.

Zaheer rolled to avoid the paw before jumping into the trees. He managed to avoid Hei Bai's paws as he hopped from tree to tree. He landed on the Guardian Spirit blasting him with dark spiritual energy. The poor panda cried in anguish. Twisting around he tried to get the man off his back, but it was no go. Zaheer flipped off him then kicked Hei Bai leg in a precise spot causing the monstrous panda to turn back to his form and lying on his side.

Before Zaheer could do another attack, two spiritual energy blasts sent him flying. "Leave Hei Bai alone! You can't treat a Guardian Spirit like that!" Avatar told him. Behind her, Red Arrow was channeling part of Varuna's energy into him, telling him it would be okay.

"Ah so I'm finally graced with the presences of the Avatar. I assume your companion is the new Spirit's Champion. I don't understand why Varuna would bind himself to a human host instead of roaming free issuing out his own justice and reason."

"Don't talk like I'm not here," Red Arrow hissed. "Why don't we cut to the chase? We've got some idea about your group. You have a beef with the White Lotus and might be a splinter group. You have a very dangerous philosophy and don't care how much chaos you create."

"I suspect my uncle was part of your group, but betrayed you. That's why you destroyed the Northern Tribe and killed my cousins. So why don't you just tell us what your plan is already. We're not getting any younger here!" Avatar barked at him. Zaheer smiled, pleased by their actions. Quietly he told his friends what was going on and where to go, unware that the same information was being broadcasted to the heroes.

* * *

One chick crossed back into the physical world. He started to chirp, forgetting for a moment that they couldn't understand him that way. _ "Sorry, I tend to forget when I'm young what I know when I'm older." _Fenghuang told them. Seeing their grim expressions he started to narrate what was going on in the grove.

_"They've encountered Zaheer. He's telling them about the history of the Red Lotus. They are a splinter group who thought the White Lotus betrayed their beliefs by going public and protecting the Avatar. They had planned to kidnap Korra and raise in their ways. Unfortunately the initial plan failed after their capture. " _

"What is their mission? What does this have to with Unalaq and why they've done all these terrible things?" Mako asked. Looking out the window the moths kept watch. They seemed nervous. Something out there had gotten them panicked.

_"The Red Lotus seeks to bring the natural order of the two worlds. Opening the portals has helped, but they haven't created the chaos and darkness yet. They wish to destroy all forms of government allowing everyone to focus on themselves and let their inner nature come life. Unalaq abandon this plan, allowing them to take the fall, so he could purse his desire to merge with Vaatu."_

"So I was right, they are anarchist. Every government leader and cabinet are in danger of being wiped out. They're going to release as much chaos and destruction as possible because they believe that's the natural order."

"Haven't they ever heard of organized chaos theory?"

"Apparently not Static. I doubt they would listen to anyone else who didn't agree with them, they're to set in their ways. Hmm, why are they still interested in Korra and now Kilchii?" Arsenal asked the dragon bird chick. The chick seemed to stiffen and let out a warning cry. _"Emergency, Zaheer has alerted his team to this location. They'll be here in five minutes!" _

"Time to initiate Plan B! Come on Static, we need to get going!" Robin II said urgently. He reached into his belt, pressing down, as it emitted a subsonic call. Everyone braced themselves when hundreds of regular viper bats mixed with spirit bats. Changing the tone of the sound the viper bat calmed down as their spirit counterparts communicated with him.

Static, came out of the room with Red Arrow still meditating on his flying disc. "I get you're a Bat and all, but really? You expect me to fly with a zillion bats acting as our cover? How are we even going to navigate?!" Robin II rolled his masked eyes as a few spirit bats lifted him into the air. "Trust me they know where they're going. Let's go!" he urged.

Muttering to himself about how batty the plan was Static tried to minimize his electricity. Rising into the sky they took the long way looping a few times around the city before taking the long route back towards the jeep. They streaked through the skies under the safety of the spirit guards.

"I hope the girl's got away safely. Taking that rental Satocycle was not the best plan we've come up with," Static told his partner. Kneeling down he pressed his hand to Red Arrow's neck. He was alive, but he wondered for how long if his spirit didn't return to his body.

"There's nothing they can track up here. We've got to stay positive. I'll check in with the others. Robin II calling Team Girl, come in Team Girl. What's your status?"

"This is Bumblebee for Team Girl, can't really talk right now.' Bumblebee was flying close to the Asami keeping her safe. Her night vision goggles were at their maximum. Her targeting screen saw another person half a mile away getting ready to shoot. Withdrawing her full blasters she fired a narrow long range blast that knocked the target out. "Any idea who's after us?"

"No, but I don't think it's the Red Lotus. These attacks are…" pausing for a moment to jump a ramp then whip around a column followed by some zigzags before she finished, "This is more military tactics."

"Great, just great! Team Girl calling to Team Protection. What's going on?"

For several minutes there was no response, then they heard Bolin's panic voice. "Can't talk for long. The lavabender and the armless water wonder are after us." Sounds of crumbling brick could be heard. "Mako and Arsenal are trying to bring them down, except we can't land a shot. I'm signing off until later!" The silence between the groups foreshadowed the danger ahead.

* * *

Upon reaching the jeep safely the two boys were greeted by some anxious animals. Naga sniffed them whining and crying for Korra. Pabu was running all over Static using him as a post to see if Bolin was in the area. The little fire ferret was making strange sounds, his little ferret eyes brimming with tears. Robin II was trying to push the pups down stumbling over to the jeep. Carefully the boys laid their unconscious friend in the back before Robin II climbed into the front.

He flipped the radio on fiddling with the frequency. Static came over to help eventually the boys increased their range of their ear comes calling out to their friends. They heard nothing except static. They tried another frequency and tried again, still nothing. It wasn't looking good. "It's no use, every frequency we used is not receiving anything. They must have been captured." Robin II muttered.

"Dawq, this is not good for us bro. Aqualad will drown us for this! Oh, I don't even want to think of the trouble we'll get from the mentors. It's going to be one hard smack down on us," Static moaned. He fell further down his seat as he imagined what would happen when they returned to the home. "I rather deal with Dakota's gangbangers then face the wrath of an entire world."

Robin II slapped his face. "We don't have the luxury to waste our time on future punishments! So suck it up and help me figure out what these spirits are trying to communicate! Ugh, I wish we had Cassie here. Maybe she could understand what they're saying." He hung his head and covered his ears trying to not to fall in despair. At that moment he realized he missed his friends and family. Cassie battle ready attitude, Mal's calm focus, and even Betty's determination to prove herself. Not to mention Arsenal's bossiness and Karen's enthusiasm. Concern for his new friends mixed in with longing for his big brother and, (hated to admit it), Batman.

A comforting hand pulled him into a gentle embrace. Surprised, he looked up and saw Static holding him. Instead of flinching he just leaned into the embrace until he was let go. "Never thought someone as big-headed and confident as you had it in you."

Static removed his mask rubbing the edges of it. "Let you in on a little secrete. I talk big and act confident to hide my fear and doubts. I've had a good mentor and I'm a decent hero, when you live in Dakota; most of the time you're more worried about staying alive. Too many gangs, so you learn to be tough to survive."

"Just like my old digs. Never knew we had so much in common." Suddenly Naga barked loudly. The spirit moths had joined the group. They talked to the spirit bats. It was very high pitched and humming before they split up. The moths fluttered away creating the faces of the girls. Then they turned into an airship with an Earth Kingdom symbol on it, before becoming an arrow pointing in North East direction. The bats did the same thing showing Zaheer was heading North with their prey then take a shortcut to Bai Sing Se.

* * *

The boys understood. The girl's had been captured by the Earth Queen, traveling via airship to Bai Sing Se. The Red Lotus was taking a Satomobile using a faster and more direct route to intercept the airship when it reached the city. Even when Red Arrow woke up from trance in the back seat, they wouldn't have the forces to take on _one _rescue mission let alone two.

"Then…we…need…to go for help. Ugh," Red Arrow whispered coming out of his trance. He looked exhausted, Varuna's markings vanished from his skin and his Spirit's Champion symbol, was now dimmed. Naga started licking him profusely. He sat upright petting her hand. "Sorry girl, Korra's captured. I promise we'll get her back."

Naga lowered her head as he crawled on to the saddle. Storing his weapons he sat up still wincing. He saw the boys about to protest, but one look from Naga was enough to keep them quiet. "It took me awhile to get back to my body because Varuna wasn't sure what to do. I convinced him that we need to strengthen our forces."

The boys nodded waiting for their orders. Red Arrow would take Naga and Kallik and track down Tonraq. They sensed he was nearby, but weren't sure exactly. Static job was to find and lead Lord Zuko and Druk first to the jeep then into town. Robin II would remain behind to guard the jeep while trying to get in touch with Lin and Su. Both ladies had proven to be valuable warriors with good resources. They needed them now so each of them took off in their own direction.

Red Arrow pushed Naga to her limits as Kallik kept pace. She jumped over sound mounds and darted between trees as they made it back to the rich grassy land. After traveling a good thirty miles he headed through a small canyon as they hurried to a main road. He knew that Lord Zuko and Tonraq had separated soon after the attack. Tonraq had decided to stay by his niece and sister-in-law side helping her with her regent duties as they awaited Eska's waking. Lord Zuko had flown on ahead to keep tracking the Red Lotus.

"Come on Naga, just a few more feet. The main road on the other side," Red Arrow whisper. A how from Kallik alerted them to the fact she heard a vehicle approaching. Without waiting for her mother, she started to run and jump, wiggling through rocks showing the athletics and endurance she had inherited from her father. They saw her climb out of the canyon barking and howling. There was a screech as a car stopped. Naga and he emerged a few minutes later seeing Tonraq petting Kallik whispering to her.

"Kilchii! Naga! I'm very glad to see you. The last I received from Zaofu was that you went on a tracking mission." He frowned noticing the absence of everyone and Kilchii health. Picking up Kallik, he ordered Naga to keep pace after he buckled the teen in the passage seat. They started heading towards the meeting point. Along the way Kilchii filled him in.

Static's meeting was almost identical. After flying for an hour, he finally spotted the dragon making its way towards the desert. He had used up almost all his power to write a sparkling message in the sky so the duo came his way. With no energy left the hero was falling from the sky. Druk flew as fast as he could so Zuko could reach out and grab the boy. After a few minutes rest and some food, Virgil was good and started sharing what he knew with the ancient Firebender. He hoped that Robin II stayed on Lin's good side when she found the jeep.

* * *

In the Spirit World an anxious and slightly scared Hoa finally found her mother, The Painted Lady, using her healing powers to cleanse a river. She smiled as the water changed from a murky brown to a pale blue. The Painted Lady sensed her daughter and rose on her fog bank giving her daughter a stern look. "Hoa, I told you not to wander too far. There are parts of the Spirit World that are dangerous. Do you realize how afraid I was?" Pausing for a moment the spirit woman took a closer look at her daughter. Her braided hair was skewed and several leaves were missing. The bottom of her sheath was covered in mud and pieces of shells had broken off. "Hoa, what has happened? Where did you go?"

"I went to the edge of the Xai Bau Grove and intercepted the Avatar and Spirit's Champion. They intended to spy on and hopefully rid the Grove of a dark airbender's spirit with Hei Bai's help." She looked angrily at her mother. "I wanted to help, but Korra sent me here saying I would be safer."

Pressing her hand to her golden mark, Painted Lady whispered, "At least she had some sense. Hoa, I thought you understood how dangerous dark benders are, whether they are physically here or in spirit. Their energies upset the balance in our world. If a dark airbender has appeared it means that there is serious trouble brewing." The spirit woman and her half spirit daughter formed their fogbanks and started flying across the water in the direction of Amerterusa realm, the Heavenly Winds of Light.

"The Guardian Spirit of the Air Nomads needs to be alerted that the dark airbender has learned to cross over. It's up to her to determine what to do about him. In the meantime I'll be escorting you to the Nexus. You need to return home Hoa."

"Hey wait a minute, I can handle one little dark airbender. You said it yourself that I was getting stronger every day. I want to help the spirits!" Hoa protested only to shrink back and nearly slip off her fogbank after her mother's aura flared around her.

"This isn't up to debate Hoa. It's getting dangerous to stay here. Besides, your father will need you if the Foggy Swamp Tribe comes under threat. Please do this for both your father's and my sakes okay?" The teenager nodded her head, following her mother without a word.

* * *

In the world of Young Justice, an unexpected cranky and dangerous guest, arrived at the Cave bypassing the Zeta Tubes. "KALDURAHM! You better have a good excuse why my husband has been gone for three and half weeks, or I swear, I'm going to cut your balls off!" A storming sai wielding Jade strode in, pinned Kaldur to the wall with one sai to his neck, the other aiming for his manhood.

"Jade cool it! I don't think you want the League to find out you can bypass their Zeta Tubes anytime you feel like it!" Artemis snapped at her sister. She tugged at her sister's arm and finally got her to let go of Kaldur. "I thought the doctor told you take it easy the first few weeks to avoid a miscarriage."

"Baby sis, I'm the oldest daughter of two supervillains, a fully trained assassin, and a former Shadow turned double agent. I think I can handle being stressed out without losing the baby," Jade told her sister. Nevertheless she took a few deep breaths calming down. She swore she could her their mother telling her that she needed to think of her child first.

"Cheshire, I understand that you're experiencing…" Aqualad saw the glint in the woman's eyes and selected the rest of his words carefully, "changes to your body for the first time. I'm sorry that Roy hasn't returned yet, but he will soon."

"How soon is soon!" she demanded angrily. Artemis signaled Wally to get a smoothie for her sister. He dashed off knowing it was the only thing that calmed her down in situations like this. "I'm nearly two months pregnant and I should have my husband helping me with this pregnancy, not my mother." A wave of dizziness hit her so she sat down and took a zip of the mango smoothie Wally brought her.

"Sis, it will be okay. Roy is helping his brother out. I know how anxious you are, but you have to trust us. He'll come home soon. I bet the group contacts us tonight or tomorrow about their progress depending on the time difference." Artemis hugged her sister, rocking her a bit. She started to sing a soft Vietnamese song, praying that Roy did make it home safely for both his wife and child's sake.


	7. Sandstorms and Dustdevils

A small truck was making its way quickly across the land heading for Ba Sing Se. P'Li was driving as Zaheer meditated, hoping to find the spiritual energies of the two targets that had slipped away. Thanks to the police radio they had stolen in Republic City, they knew the whereabouts of the Avatar, but there was no word on the Spirit's Champion. The Red Lotus was hoping that the Queen might divulge that information in exchange for who they had tied up in the back seat.

Tied up tightly and cuffed Mako, Bolin, and Roy struggled to get out of their bindings. Roy was in a particular awkward situation. The Red Lotus couldn't figure out how to take off his prosthetic, so they had disabled it by pulling out a bunch of wires and circuit board to prevent its use. It now hung uselessly against his side. "When I get out of this you f****** a******* are going to be s*** under my boots. You hear what I'm saying to your boy toy b*****? Zaheer you're nothing but a pile of c***.

Ghazan laughed a little at the angry young adult. He had a mouth on him even if he didn't know half of what he was saying. "I like you, you have guts to make threats when you're in no position to fight. What would your parents say if they heard you right now?"

"I don't know what they would think, they've been dead for years, but I know what my former guardian would say. Keep singing it to the fat cats and eventually they'll take themselves out." Mako, who was sitting in the middle stomped his foot hard on Roy in trying to get the guy to shut up. If Ghazan and Ming-Hua wanted to they could kill them in in an instant.

Ming-Hua leaned back against the wall closing her eyes, already tired of hearing the firebender trying to gather information about their mission. Then the redhead started talking once again saying his brother had survived worse people than them and still came out on top. It was a mistake to hold him hostage because his brother wouldn't come. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but I wish for the quietness and heat of the volcano, making up stories, than sitting back here listening to these guys."

"Not me, I'm happy to be free. I couldn't stand renaming the constellations one more time. Do you know what it's like to only bathe when it's raining? It's a wonder I don't stink still," Ghazan responded to that. He shuddered about the thought of being captured again. He vowed that he would die before being locked up again. He turned to look at the young earthbender who was listening in fascination about their lives. He could sense a special power inside him. If he ever unlocked it would be a lot of fun to challenge him.

"Gag them up! You two need to keep them under control. Also, lose the attitude _all _of you. The Earth Queen can have us executed for just standing in her throne room if she wishes," P'Li reminded them. Squeezing Zaheer's hand he came out of his trance. She raised an eyebrow and he gave her a slight tilt of the head. He hadn't found their targets.

* * *

Inside the Palace the Earth Queen was having a good day for once. After Avatar Kyoshi's attack, it become apparent that the Dai Li was gone for good. Several of them couldn't even remember their names, asking them to earthbend was unthinkable. So to protect her interests she commandeered the Council of Five forcing the generals to personally serve her and abandon any duties related to the security of the city or the kingdom at large.

Making Gun squirm he informed her that the Avatar and her female companions had been transport to the airship which was in route to the city. Her golden nails clicked together excitedly. Soon the Avatar would be her prisoner to do whatever she wanted to. The other girls made good bonus prizes. Ms. Asami precious company would fall apart without her. Her companies and people would corner the market giving her a much bigger tax rate to increase her wealth. That other girl, (she couldn't be bothered to remember her name), would enjoy being a living experiment at the University. Her abilities would help create a better army for her, a new type of Dai Li.

She was so pleased she missed Gun telling her about Zaheer's group. She yelled at him for not telling her when she wasn't in deep thought. Falling into a full kowtow he begged for his life as he repeated what Zaheer's group wanted. Upon hearing they had information on her airbenders she let them in.

The boys got tossed unceremonious on the ground. Mako and Bolin eyed the generals in fear as Roy started the Queen down. If he had Superman's heat vision he would have blown up that stupid hairpiece along with her accessories. The Earth Queen stood up and walked over to get a better look. She stopped when she saw that it was not the Spirit's Champion captured. She swiped her nails drawing blood on his collar bone section before getting back on her throne. "Such a humble gift to give me, but what do you wish in return."

"Your Majesty, I along with several people, saw your troops captured the Avatar and forcefully take her prisoner. If she makes it all the way here, the other nations would be forced attempts to free her. Your own people would revolt further upon learning the world's greatest hope being a prisoner for crimes against you. It would be the same if you find the Spirit's Champion. There is a solution to the problem," Zaheer spoke eloquently.

"Speak quickly, I don't have much patients for long-winded speeches." Zaheer quickly went into negotiations. The queen could keep her prisoners and retrieve her airbenders, in exchange she handed the Avatar and Spirit's Champion, should he be captured, to Zaheer. He assured her that the both of them would be quietly dealt with without any evidence trailing back to her.

Finding these terms acceptable, she allowed the Red Lotus to wait in the waiting chamber. The boys found themselves being belt down into separate dungeon cells. The Earth Queen would have them tortured by the generals later before executing them for their crimes against her. Yes, today was shaping out to be a good day indeed.

* * *

On the slow flying airship the girls had been placed in a special holding area. Asami was chained to railing on the wall, while Karen found herself in a too small cage with holes to tiny to escape from, and Korra was on a stretcher in straight jacket, a muzzle, and cuffs.

"MMMM! ERTH MMM, RRR NNN GER! LEMMMMMMM OUT!" the Avatar shouted. The muzzle on her face was making her words come out garbled and she was restrained so tightly she couldn't move. The restraints also were responsible for the slowing of the blood in her body and her difficulty in breathing. If Korra couldn't get free within an hour, her body might suffer from irreversible damage.

"Korra, calm down, we'll get you out of there, I promise. Karen, how are you holding up? Can you escape at all?" Asami asked anxiously, silently wishing for her electro glove. Upon capture their all their weapons and Karen's costume had been confiscated. They were currently in lock up a few doors down from the cell.

The black girl, now wore nothing except a simple green tunic a guard had given her, to preserve some of her dignity studied her prison. Her cage left her no room to stretch and she was half hunched over and her legs crossed together sticking behind her. Karen tried to find room to move her hands with no success. "I'm not doing the greatest. This cage is doing a number on my body and is messing with my mind. Even if I had my costume, the holes are too tiny to escape from. Maybe my stingers guns could cut the metal, but I don't have them." She let out a growl of frustration. If only Mal or Atom were here right now, she'd be out in a second.

"So I guess it's up to me to get us out of this room. Good thing these are Cabbage Corp airships." She stood up before jumping over her cuffs and pulling the security bar from the wall, catching it before it crashed to the floor. Working with the bar she found the weak spot in her chain and hit. The cuffs cracked and she was free. She went over to check each of the girls' restraints. After a moment she started trying to open a panel. "I can't free either of you without the keys. In order to take the guard by surprise I'll get our weapons. Just give me ten and start yelling."

* * *

It worked perfectly. Asami managed to get their weapons and take out the guard with an electrical shock. Quickly she undid the locks on Korra's stretcher before using the boomerangs to cut the jacket off. Once free Karen quickly slipped on her costume checking for damages before holstering her Stinger Guns and firing tiny blast from her hands. Once Korra was free she said that the need to take the air ship.

"Wait, if we take it by force there's a high probability of us damaging the ship and going down in the desert," she told the girls as she pulled on her hood and goggles. "The local sandbender tribe mentioned that they had a recent encounter with a sandshark that nearly ate them. I don't know about you, but I rather not end up as fish food."

The other two nodded, thinking over the problem. Even if they took the ship, eventually someone was going to notice that it wasn't responding to calls. Other airships would be dispatched to search for it. They would have to move faster and make it back to the oasis before deciding what to do with the soldiers. The question was how?

"Korra, can you use your gravitybending to make the airship lighter?" The Avatar looked at Asami puzzled. "Hear me out, if the airship is lighter than it can move faster. We could also risk taking a slightly different flying manifest without arousing too much suspicion. We then take out the crew and make our way back to the Oasis."

Korra bit her lip. She had never tried to manipulate the gravity around something so big and inside it. She didn't know how long she could maintain the gravitybending while creating a giant dust devil with airbending to give them a speed boost. "I don't know, I've never tried using regular bending with its sub-bending. I need both hands to perform each bending."

"Try using your mind to bend the gravity and your arms to create the air blasts. Can't you use the Avatar State to do remote bending?" Bumblebee suggested. Her suggestion was a good one. She hoped it would work. The group had to keep moving unit they made it to the middle of the ship. They opened a window and Korra crawled on to the repair platform and slowly got to her feet. She nearly lost her balance, but got it back. She removed two boomerangs and gave each girl one in hopes they would help.

After she was left alone she took a deep breath. "Raava, please help me do this. Past lives, lend me your strength so I can succeed." Her jewelry sparkled as she entered the trance. Power surged in her as she used her hands to create giant dust devils, the quick-moving air sending the propellers into overdrive. At the same time her glowing eyes looked up focusing on the ship itself. Reaching out with her mind she connected with the air particles causing them to react. Suddenly the ship went higher and higher into the sky as the dust devils followed them.

Inside the ship the crew didn't know what hit them. Using Korra's boomerangs as a distraction, the girls took out the crew, locked them up in a new cell room. Asami took charge of flying and Bumblebee flew outside to keep an eye on Korra and for danger. With their increased speed they should reach their destination within an hour and half.

Twenty minutes later, Korra had to stop or she would burn out. In fact, if Asami hadn't been there to catch her she might have fallen into the desert below. The heiress half carried the girl to cockpit while Bumblebee decided to check on the prisoners. After all, it was past lunch.

Upon entering the cell she saw four disgruntled men glaring at her. Now it was them chained to the wall and floor, but at least they could sit down on the tiny benches on the walls. They'd been stripped of weapons and items they could use to free themselves with. "How are you guys? Can I get you anything?"

"You and your companions would be wise to free us. If you don't I promise you will suffer further under the Earth Queen's wraith. She might even have you executed," the Captain informed her. "The three of you can't avoid the Earth Airships forever. They'll find you girls and won't hesitate to rough you up. If you free us and returned to your cells, I promise I won't mention this to the Earth Queen when we deliver you to her."

Bumblebee bristled hearing those words. She'd heard something similar to often by others. People telling her to give up because she was a girl. That she wasn't smart enough to earn a degree in microbiology science. Because she was black no one would take her seriously.

She set down her basket of food and stood straight up. She turned to the captain and removed her hood. "Let me tell you a story captain. Once a few years ago a child with amazing speed was asked to deliver a life giving heart to a hospital where a little girl named Perdita waited. He was very caught up in thinking he wanted to fight the people creating a snowstorm to stop him. He almost didn't realize when an evil count, in attempted coup, tried to prevent the heart from being delivered to his nine year old niece. The boy managed to get the heart to the girl, who turned out to be the queen of her country. A small queen brave enough to revoke the count's rights and land him in jail forever. She offered her savior a gift, but he told her the greatest gift was seeing her alive."

The rest of the crew looked at her awed by the story. The captain's face showed he wasn't so she told him another story. "Centuries ago, my ancestors were living peacefully in to own lands until slavers captured them. That cage you shoved me in? Imagine it much smaller with three people mangled up in it. For years we were treated with no respect, tortured and executed because of the pigmentation of our skin. Eventually we found a way to create equality. An equality today that lets me not only attend college, but lets me be a superheroine without being second class."

"There a point to all this?" the captain asked. She nodded. "Yeah sometimes people can do amazing things, especially when they realize that the rules of a leader or traditions of a country are morally wrong or unethical. Ask yourselves, do you want to serve a queen who cares nothing for you, or do the right thing by letting us go free?" She would have said more except something big crashed up against the ship sending it twirling around rapidly.

* * *

Flying out the door and through the ships she caught a glimpse of what was attacking them. Her worst fears confirmed as she saw a sand shark breaching as it tried to take a bit out of the ship. Once in the cockpit she blurted out. "I though those beasts couldn't jump this high!"

"Without me out there bending we started to drift slowly back down. I have to get back out there ahhh," Korra tried to stand only to fall back on her knees. She was still exhausted from using the Avatar State. Until she remastered it, the unorthodox way she did it would continue to drain her. "I can't get up, I'm too tired."

"Asami, keep the ship in motion, I'll go out there and get Sharky to leave us alone." Without waiting she opened a window and flew out. The big shark was starting to jump again after the ship. Using super zoom she flew towards the monsters, pulling out her Stinger Guns blasting the creature's underbelly. It let out a bellow. It twisted in the air as it fell trying to chomp on her. Bumblebee flew out of the way doing loops around the creature zapping it.

The creature submerged itself in the sand sliding through the sands. Tracking it she watched for another breech. Just before it exploded out towards them again she went small. Flying into its mouth she used her wrist stingers burning holes in the tongue. She then attacked the teeth breaking most of them. The creature was in great pain as she exited its mouth as it returned to the dunes below. "Hopefully no more surprises like that. I hope the others are doing okay."

* * *

In the dungeons below the palace; Mako, Bolin and Roy were in two cells. The brothers in one and Roy in the other. Mako was yelling to be let out saying that had something urgent to tell the Earth Queen, but no one came.

"You're in for a long wait, if you think anyone's coming boy," A prisoner across from them informed him. Judging by his appearance he'd been there for a long time. "Ever since the Dai Li's been destroyed, the regular guard's been stretched to its limits. Queenie cares more about her own self-preservation than us. We'll be lucky if we get served a meal in the next two weeks. Try conserving your water and food."

Mako ignored him. He tried to burn the bars apart, but quickly stopped when the sparks started flying back towards him. "What are these bars made of? Why can't I burn through them?" The prisoner yelled at him that the bars melting point might be too high of a temperature for him to cut through without hurting himself. Turning to his brother he told him to metal bend it.

"I told you already, I'm not a metalbender. I've tried since before we arrived at Zaofu. I can't do it, I'm not the one in a hundred benders with the ability too. Sorry Mako, but I'm not breaking us out."

"Are you saying you're not even going to try? Come on! I thought you didn't quit at anything! I believe in you so start bending that metal!" There was a banging on the left side of their cell followed by Roy's voice, "Give it a rest Mako, he says he can't do it, then he can't. So if you have nothing more to offer than let me work on fixing my prosthetic in peace." The twenty two year old looked at his arm sighing. He didn't have his kit or proper tools to fix this. Hopefully he could jury rig something, he at least had to get it locked back into place. "Hey, anyone down here have some sort of tools I could use please? I need to fix my prosthetic."

There was a quite mutter between the other prisoners and a few minutes later he had a couple utensils, a piece of a mirror, a single tweezers, and some odds and ends. It was much and very primitive tools to use, but he had to make do with what he had. Slowly, he used a small toothpick someone had to start the diagnostic.

Thirty minutes passed quickly, giving Roy a chance to run a diagnostic and fix some of the wiring when something cracked the foundation all the way down to the cells. The ceiling threaten to collapse on top of them. Through the cracks dripped water and they could hear sounds of combustion. A whistling sound was going on. What was going on in the throne room?

* * *

It had been a one-sided battle between the Red Lotus and the Council of Five. Learning that the airship carrying the Avatar had gone missing, the four of them had demanded to know the location so they could fetch her themselves. Outraged that they listen to her private conversations she declared that they would die. Within seconds the Red Lotus had dispatched the Council of Five and sent Gun running. Leaving the Queen alone she stood next to her throne declaring, "You wouldn't dare harm the Earth Queen. I'm the ruler of the entire Earth Kingdom! Harm me and the rest of the nations will crush you."

Zaheer calmly used his bending to hop and land him on top of the throne. His blood-red arrow started to glow as the energies of the dark airbenders he absorbed whispered in his mind. An intense pressure filled the room as he started to speak, his voice conveying all the dark airbenders. "I don't believe in Queens or any form of government. Those in charge always corrupt themselves taking the freedom of the people for themselves. You're just like them, believing your position gives you the right to take and give it on your whim. You're wrong dear Hou-Ting."

Before the Queen could protest the winds circled around her body making it impossible to move. A small ball covered her face as she felt her lungs constricting and their air being pulled out. Her entire body was in pain as she tried to breathe the air back in, but nothing came.

Zaheer landed right behind her quickening the process. "Air is the element of freedom, a necessity to life that you thought to control. You can't take their freedom any more than they can stop breathing. Yet, I hold the power over your life and I chose to send you into the dark," he replied coldly as he asphyxiated her to death. The other members of the Red Lotus gave looks of pride at him. He gestured to the body letting the others take their turns.

Ming-Hua used her ice claws to slice the body into three sections. P'Li set the torso and legs on until there was nothing, but bones. Ghazan broke the bones in pieces with his earthbending before using lavabending to destroy the bones completely. Together the four of them preserved the Queen's head and mounted on the top of the palace. It would serve as a reminder of the past, a symbol to show the Red Lotus meant business.

* * *

Hoa had just exited the Spirit World landing on the roots of the swamp. The second her toes made contact she felt agony, fear, and jubilation rush over her. Losing her balance she fell off the root hitting the ground rather hard. "HOA! Headsman Bao, we found Hoa!" a young voice called out fuzzily.

Distantly she could hear skiffs powering closer as the vines wrapped themselves around her gently putting her on her father's skiff. A healer started to look her over, wondering if the transition from the Spirit World as a spirit back to the Physical World as human had been the reason she lost her balance. "I'm fine, really," she told them as she forced herself to sit upright. "I fell because the Swamp is in great pain."

"What do you mean the Swamp is in great pain?" Boa asked. He took a seat next to his daughter checking her over to make certain she was fine. "I was just meditating under the Banyan-Grove Tree. Your mother said she was sending you home because of danger. I had hoped you would exit near home, but that was not the case."

"Feel it Father, our beloved Swamp is feeling the pain from a distance and the energies of the people in that area." The Headswoman in training begged her father. He pressed his hand against the bark of a nearby tree connecting with its spiritual energy. A gold trail appeared as it surged through the swamp, out into the Earth Kingdom and to Ba Sing Se. Terrible images appeared before him. People looting the palace where the Earth Queen had hung. Riots breaking out on all the rings. In the Lower Ring a raging fire threaten to destroy the homes and the people who lived there. The spirits were struggling between the desire to save people or get out as fast as they can.

"Chi! Get back to the radio hut. Contact our cousins. See if they know anything that's going on in Ba Sing Se!" Chi nodded as he rode his catgator Slim III back to the village. Standing up on the edge of his skiff he spoke to the rest of the tribe. "My kin, something terrible has occurred in the Earth Kingdom capital. The spirit of the Queen has been snuffed out, as a result, chaos and destruction is spreading like wildfire. While I don't have all the details, I do know our precious home might be attacked because our treaty with the Earth Kingdom, might not recognize us anymore as Water Tribe. It's our duty to protect the Nexus and our home. With a heavy heart I ask you to become a force to be reckoned with once more. We need to do whatever is necessary to keep the Swamp alive!"

Bao held his daughter as they watched the tribe power through the currents to set traps and enforce the boarders of the swamp from harm. Hoa clutched her pendant tightly, knowing that the spirits, especially Hei Bai, would be horrified by this violent act.

* * *

The other two Water Tribes had already heard the news. In the Southern Tribe Senna listened to the radio holding back tears and fears. Katara held her hand tightly giving her a reassuring look. "The Earth Kingdom fell once when I was a girl. It's frightening now, but I promise that the future will be brighter and happier."

"Thanks Master Katara, but I'm less worried about the Earth Kingdom as I'm about my husband. Tonraq is a brave, kind, and powerful leader. Still, I fear he won't be able to survive against Red Lotus." Both Southern Tribe benders turned their attention back to the radio, hoping to hear some news about Korra and the others.

In the Northern Tribe, Regent Pipaluk sat in the partially reconstructed throne room. Many important people and a great many warriors had been lost in the destruction of their home. Only a small bit of the city had been reconstructed as aid came from the villages in the tundra who had rushed to aid them. Regent Pipaluk, (who looked remarkably like her children), listening as the advisors informed her about what the radios were broadcasting. "It seems that the Red Lotus, had a greater agenda then killing Chief Desna and destroying our home. They wish to eliminate all government leaders and allow the countries to run wild. They're saying their goal is freedom for all."

"If freedom was their goal, they went about the wrong way. Many of our people are homeless, our culture destroyed. I understand that the people need freedom, and I've been very liberal in this time of crises. Will this pose a problem when I return leadership of the tribe back to Eska?" Regent Pipaluk asked.

The advisor opened his mouth to speak, but stopped looking at something behind the Regent. Hope flared inside Pipaluk as she stood up and looked behind. Sitting in a wheelchair, with simple prosthetics for now, sat Eska. Her normally bored look had changed to one of determination and sadness. Her nurse rolled the chair closer as Pipaluk hugged her daughter tightly. "My sweet little Eska, I'm so glad you're alive! Oh how I wish you could hear me."

"Motherrrrrrrr, I Imm deeeeeaaaaaaaaaaafffffffff, buttttt I cannnnnnnnn stil still read lipppppppppps." Her voice was coming out very raspy and it was harder to talk with her jaw partially fused. In her heart, she knew Desna was gone, but she was determined to lead her people, with her mother's help until was completely recovered.

* * *

It was the same story in the Fire Nation, United Republic, and Air Nomads. Everyone in the nations were shocked news and didn't know what to do. Fire Lord Izumi ordered her troops to protect the people first, her second. She even ordered the Imperial Navy to fetch her son and bring him home where he'd be better protected. President Raiko spoke to his entire country asking everyone to look after one another and not to hesitate to call for reinforcements if the Red Lotus showed up. In the Northern Air Temple, the Council and Tenzin, plus the Young Justice heroes, started discussing plans to evacuate the Northern Temple and head to the Southern, when they would be better protected.

The Red Lotus actions had frightened both man and spirit. They had achieved their goal of freedom in the Earth Kingdom. The question was who would be standing after the chaos and blood stopped. Would they even be able to rebuild like the North or was the Earth Kingdom gone forever?

* * *

The girls were completely unaware of what happened. They had turned off the radio some time ago as they slowly descended on the outskirts of the city. The approach of the airship startled some sand benders who scattered on their sand sailer taking off in different directions. Asami did her best and carefully landed the craft on the edges of the Misty Palms Oasis. Gathering the crew they disembarked the ship looking around puzzled by all the activity.

"I've never seen this place so active," the captain commented. People were running around whispering. Some had pulled on dirty white garments. The florist was handing out flowers, saying they were on sale for anyone who wanted to mourn. "Something extreme must have happened to cause this much panic."

"Sir, I think I'm seeing things. That's not a dragon waiting by the tavern is it?" the lieutenant asked, rubbing his eyes. They all glanced over towards Druk calmly sunning himself in the fading sun. "I need a drink badly."

Karen wasted no time, she unlocked their cuffs and told them to get going. The captain nodded as the four of them headed out to talk to the local constable. The girls passed Druk who let out a small grumble of approval. They each stroked his nose. He leaned in for some well deserve scratching. Just before they entered the tavern, the girls got bowled over by white fur balls.

"Naga, stop that tickles! I'm glad to see you to girl! Oh I love you so much. What are you doing inside, I thought they didn't let animals inside," Korra laughed as she pushed herself up. "Hmm I guess the tavern owner is a nice guy, letting an arctic creature rest inside a cool hut to beat the heat." With pups yipping at her heels she entered the tavern.

Inside in the corner sat Lin, Zuko, and Tonraq sat discussing plans. Kilchii, Virgil, and Jason sat between them drinking cold juice and occasionally adding in their two cents. Tonraq looked up first and his smile widened. "Korra! Thank Yue you're safe!" Father and daughter embraced each other tightly. He stroked her hair whispering to her as Kilchii joined them.

"KAREN!" "GUYS!" The three teen heroes embraced each other talking a mile a minute. The boys talking about their adventure in finding the leaders and talking to them. Jason was much calmer and not as snotty. Apparently talking to Zuko was the equivalent of meeting your favorite movie star. Virgil emphasized with Karen when she spoke about her treatment on the ship.

After the introductions Asami asked what had happened to cause this sleepy town to go crazy. Lin just pointed to the radio and said wait five seconds. Seconds later the radio crackled. "Our top story continues. The Earth Queen is dead at the hands of the Red Lotus. Chaos reigns supreme in the capital and is quickly spreading to the rest of the country. City states are experiencing similar problems as the capital as the smaller villages and providence are unsure what this turn of events means to them. One thing is clear, the Earth Kingdom is in peril. Who will save us?"

Korra looked at the group in horror. "When did this happen?"

"About forty five minutes ago. No one knows where the Red Lotus disappeared to, but all capitals, leaders and their heirs are under a lockdown to prevent further anarchy from spreading. Chief Eska has woken from her coma thankfully, but it depending on the remaining warriors to keep herself and the North safe. My daughter ordered her troops to protect the people asking only a small team of Imperial Guards to fetch my grandson," Lord Zuko explained. "I should be heading home on Druk, but first we need to ensure the safety of the new airbenders."

"Are they in great danger?" Asami asked tensely. She was already going over the statistics in her mind. With only one airship and a few bison, there wouldn't be enough transportation to successfully evacuate the Northern Temple if that was where Zaheer was heading. Deep in her bones she knew that would be his destination. Everyone else felt it too.

"Airships and bison from other temples have already been dispatched, but it's unlikely they'll get there in time," Tonraq informed her. He sighed looking towards Kilchii, who also had frown on his face. "According to the Spirit's Champion here, Varuna is very confused by what's going on."

"He's confused by what's going on. He's seen things like this before from downloading the history of our world from the Tree of Time. I'm trying to give him context, but I can't properly explain what's going on and if it's right or wrong." Kilchii clutched his head as another headache threatened to make his brain explode. "What I wouldn't give for some Aspirin right now."

"The entire world is out of balance. How much worse can this get?" Korra questioned before covering her mouth. Oh she hoped the universe didn't hear her. It had a tendency to respond with additional dangers and problems.

* * *

It turned out that things could get much worse. At the moment Bolin was clumsily steering a ransacked airship filled with his extended family. Mako was checking on everyone making sure they were okay and giving them some food that had managed to find before they left Ba Sing Se. Once he was sure his grandma Yin was okay, Mako made reentered the cockpit. "How are we doing? Have you figured how to navigate yet, without the instruments?"

"For the most part, have to keep checking the sun and ignore the compass once and while. You should count yourself lucky, that Eska took the time to teach me all about navigation so I would never be late to wherever she need me," Bolin sniffed. Thoughts of Eska once more filled his head, but he pushed them down only for an image of a smiling Opal to appear. Letting go of the wheel for a second he started furiously scratching his head. "AAAAAAAAAH! Why must I be plagued with the girl thoughts now?"

"Take a break Bolin, you need it." Mako took over the steering as Bolin joined his family in the back. Noticing her grandson upset Yin walked over. "Are you alright my dear? Saving the world must really get to you. Why haven't you settled down with a nice girl and started living a productive life by now?" Bolin just slipped further into depression, sinking so low in his seat he nearly fell off.

"Mom, now is not the best time to be talking about ones love life. Why don't you go take a nap in the bunks? We'll alert you when we reach our destination," Chow informed Yin. She did as he ordered. Watching her go he turned to his nephew, "Sorry, mom tends to meddle in everyone's life and because she's matriarch, she gets a lot of leeway."

Bolin rolled his eyes saying that she would be thrilled Mako was dating the heir to the Sato Fortune and Future Industries. Muttering about his own assorted love life he turned away from his uncle. "My girl troubles aren't important now. I'm more worried about what's going to happen when we catch up with Korra and Kilchii. They're both going to be crushed and desperate after hearing what Zaheer told us."

"Does it have something to do with the strange package you guys stowed away? The one we're not allowed to touch?" Tu pondered out load. After escaping the fire and flying away he noticed his cousins fussing with a package being really delicate with it. "What's in it anyways?"

"Trust me cousin, it's not something you want to see or mess with." Silence filled the cabin for a time. Sometime later Mako let them know he had received a call from Lin ordering the boys to the Misty Palms Oasis. As twilight started to fall they landed just outside the city. This was the first time the family had been outside the walls of Ba Sing Se so they didn't know what to make of the sights. Tu screamed when he saw several ball of white and silver mixed with one red charged at them.

"Watch out! Vicious animals on the loose!" Tu shouted standing front of his family. The pups started yipping and jumping trying to get pats and belly rubs from the family only to whine when no one did what they wanted. Naga, was holding Mako in a bear hug as Pabu and Bolin reunited. "Are you two crazy?! These are wild animals wanting to eat us!"

"I've heard a lot of people call Naga a lot of things, but not a person eater. Relax, she and her pups are just big fuzzy balls of love," Korra commented as she walked over to the group. Night had truly fallen as the stars lit up the night sky and the moon bathed them in its gentle glow.

The family gasped. It was the Avatar and standing next to her was the Spirit's Champion! Soon others joined them making them gasp even more. Famous people and teens in strange civilian outfits had approached. Asami threw herself at Mako telling him how much she was worried for him. Bolin started freaking at seeing Lord Zuko. He was about to talk to him when he remember why they had been released in the first place.

Karen, Jason, and Virgil looked around, but didn't see any sign of their leader. The pups sensed their worry brushing up against the teens. Bolin ran back in the airship before coming back with a package. Unsteadily, he handed it over to Kilchii. "Zaheer wanted us to deliver a message. This was the first part." Kilchii carefully unwrapped the package, his breath stolen as they all stared at the mangled prosthetic. Kilchii's eyes narrowed as he clenched his fist as he looked at the arm. "Where is my brother?" he asked tightly.

"He's a hostage of the Red Lotus. Ghazan ripped the limb right off, I don't know how much damage was done to it. Roy kept protesting that you wouldn't come to his rescue. Zaheer didn't believe that saying he was extra incentive," Mako informed. He looked directly into Korra's eyes. "He's going after the airbenders and if you and Kilchii don't surrender yourselves at Laghima's Peak in two days, the Red Lotus will destroy the Air Nomads and Roy."

The news made everyone still. Korra was beating herself up inside. Why had she taunted the universe? Now things were worse! Next to her Kilchii was swearing on his life that he would save his brother and not allow his child to grow up without a father. Young Justice silently agreed that they would kick the Red Lotus's butts and save the world.


	8. Wild Windstorms

A full day and half had past as the Northern Air Temple began its evacuation. The Council and Tenzin had agreed unanimously that the non-benders, elderly, and small children had to go first. It had taken all of yesterday to organize and evacuate them, many of the Air Acolytes insisting they take along some of the relics, with them to preserve the culture. Their single airship had been given directions to head towards the Western Air Temple for a while before cutting a path towards the Southern Air Temple. They would join them as soon as they could.

Flamebird, Guardian, and Wonder Girl had finished securing supplies to the bison. With only a few adult bison and a few younglings, they were unsure if they could fully evacuate the temple. "How long until the extra transport arrives?" Flamebird questioned. She firmly tied in the last of the supplies before jumping off Oogi. She used her goggles to scan the skies for any signs of trouble. So far she couldn't see anything, but she bet every penny of her family's fortune that trouble would be showing up soon.

The group power walked into toward the temple to start the evacuation process. Guardian answered her question trying to keep his cool calm demeanor. "We received a radio report an hour ago from Zaofu. Korra and Kilchii are willing to sacrifice themselves if it will spare the Air Nomads from being eradicated again." He closed his eyes trying to block the images his imagination created. He struck the alcove wall leaving a big dent in it. "This is insane! I know we've been trained for this, that we _chose_ this path. I'm just…"

"Scared, that's normal even for an Amazon. Hey, I know I act like I'm always confident and battle ready, inside I'm shaking with fear. Wonder Woman says a warrior without fear is a fool asking for death. The important thing is to not let the fear win," Wonder Girl told her friends. She may be a demigod and a super heroin, but she was still a normal teen deep inside. As the approached the center courtyard she asked out loud what Tenzin had decided to do with the Five Forbidden Winds scrolls he found a few days ago. Would he really use them if it came down to life or death?

Before anyone could answer Guardian slammed the two girls up against the walls, hissing at them to turn on their stealth moods. With a small tap to the symbols the costumes instantly went black. Wonder Girl grabbed Guardian hauling him up to the ceiling as Flamebird fired a grappling line shooting up. "What's the matter Guardian? Did you see or hear something?"

"My suit registered a seismic event. Listen, do you hear that?" he insisted. Cocking their ears they could faintly make out the sounds of shouting and cries of fears. As the alcove shook they looked behind them they saw a combustion blast go off near the top of the temple. "The Red Lotus is here. They've properly started rounding up everyone in the central courtyard. We need to rescue them." He started to free himself from Wonder Girl's grip.

Wonder Girl tightened her grip on Guardian to keep him from dropping down. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but don't be reckless. Come on Guardian, you're the one who stays the coolest under pressure we need a plan." The boy nodded as he calmed down. He was the squad leader so he better start acting like it.

"Flamebird, can you contact the rest of the team?" Black Canary's partner started tapping at her ear com trying different frequencies, computer data flashed across her goggled eyes. "No good, our mini satellite can't break through the interference and apparently we're out of range of the others."

Guardian nodded at her before looking at Wonder Girl. She pressed him against the wall until he dug in. She then flew down the hall towards the entrance hiding above the archway. She started to peek in, but quickly pressed herself against the wall as Ming-Hua entered the entrance way, her tendrils exploring the walls and ceiling. Silently, she whispered to Hera, to protect her as she contorted and shifted to avoid being detected.

"Ming-Hua enough! There's no need to search for the misguided youths. They'll come to us soon enough," Zaheer commanded. His tone was getting darker and it sounded like he was losing his patience rather quickly Wonder Girl noted. She listened for a few minutes before hurrying back to her friends. They had carefully gotten to the floor. "It's a trap alright, Zaheer just confirmed our fears. He says he'll let the airbenders go after he gets our friends. I don't trust a word he says."

"Did you see or hear Arsenal?"

"No, but he might be on the airship outside with P'Li. If the warning Mako gave is to believe he's got nothing on him."

Guardian nodded. He reaching into a secret pocket and took out an injector that Bumblebee had lent him. Knowing what it was for the girls stood still as he injected a subcutaneous tracker into them. Flamebird did it for him, praying that the trackers would stay active for the full six hours before being rejected out of the body. A quick conversation and they knew what they do.

* * *

Using a secret passage that had been recently discovered, they made their way upward until they stood on the top floor looking down in the courtyard. Zaheer was taunting Tenzin saying there was nothing he could do to change the situation. He was no Avatar Aang. "That's my cue, remember follow behind me a minute later than split." Flamebird instructed, clutching a black birdarang, not the usual red ones she used. Taking a deep breath she flung the device with perfect aim at the feet of Zaheer. "Cover your ears airbenders!" she shouted in English as she used her new glider cape to fly towards the ground. Tenzin followed her orders as the others imitated him. Suddenly the black birdarang let out a high pitch Canary Cry. Her mentor's recorded cry hit the Red Lotus full on.

Falling to the knees in pain, Flamebird hit Zaheer with the full force of a right hook sending him colliding in the wall. At the same time Guardian and Wonder Girl landed on Ghazan and Ming-Hua respectfully. For a few moments they would be incapacitated. "Wonder Girl go! Tenzin, you and your siblings help Flamebird handle these three. The rest of you follow me, we're evacuating now!"

The siblings formed a line behind Flamebird, she was in her fighting stance, ready to make the first move. The Red Lotus got up as Zaheer looked directly into her eyes, his look clearly saying he was going to torture her. She looked right back at him. She wasn't budging, this time she would _win_ this fight against a Meta. In a bubbly optimistic voice she taunted him. "A great dark Airbending Master, lost to a little sound and a normal human."

"You're signing your own death Flamebird. I'll crush you."

"Not this time Zaheer. Tenzin go," she told him dropping into the splits. She was banking on him to do what he feared. If he didn't use what he feared they all be dead.

Tenzin took a unique stance angling his right hand north and his left at the water in a small fountain. His right hand rotated quickly calling down the air currents from the sky as he used his left hand to create a small mini tornado that got bigger as his tornado became an air spout. Ming-Hua lost half her limbs as her water got absorbed. Tenzin started mixing the air spout with the air currents. The temperature was dropping as he built up a wind behind him, full of hail, ice crystals and bone chilling cold. "Forbidden Wind One: North Boreas!"

Zaheer had no way to counted as powerfully, large, raging cold, windstorm hit him full force. He screamed as his body started to freeze fast. The ice was almost up to his lower abdomen when Ming-Hua stopped the freeze. Just then Kya attacked as Ghazan and Bumi went at each other. Flamebird shot out several birdarangs, two snagging his pants before sending a massive jolt down the lines. Zaheer used his bending to push himself out-of-the-way as the fighting continued.

* * *

Guardian was leading the airbenders to the stables. "The bison are ready to go, we just need to reach them. The least experienced will mount them and fly away. The most experienced will cover them," he ordered as they ran.

"Then how are the rest of us going to get off this mountain? We don't have any gliders. You expect us to jump?" one bender, Fire Nation descent, asked. "We'll never make it down alive that way!" Guardian ignored him as the reached the edge of the alcove. Holding out a hand he stopped them. "We only have a few minutes to do this. Now, I'm counting on all of you to help me keep you safe. Yes, the experienced benders will be base jumping to get out of here, it's a lot to ask, but I promise if you listen to me we can all get out of this alive."

"Why should we listen to you? Just because your some "hero" and trained us a bit? Who do you think you are?"

Pema was pleading with the group to stop fighting as the kids defended him. Guardian simply stood his ground. He picked up a fallen piece of the temple crushing it to dust in his hand. "I'm called Guardian because I protect people! Your safety is more important than my life. Now split into two groups. Kai, you're in charge of the experienced benders. I'll protect the ones fleeing on the bison. Let's do this."

He ran out jumping over the combustion blasts. Speeding along the narrow walkway, he ripped out the railing, twisting it and flinging it at the airship trying to pierce the balloon part. P'Li used a fire blast to melt it. She turned her attention back to the escaping airbenders who now had a line of defense up. "Pathetic, I'll incinerate them with a thought."

"Not on my watch witch!" Wonder Girl said flying into the fray. Using her enchanted bracelets she blocked most of the combustion beams away from the stables. Flying at her target she tackled the firebender into her own airship where they started wrestling around. P'Li had some skills managing to push the demigod off her. The fighting continued as Wonder Girl's training kicked in. She pried about a metal lattice turning it into a sword. She did a few slashes only to drop the weapon and use her lasso. She pulled tight calling on the lighting. At first P'Li seemed in pain, but then redirected it back at her. "Cheater, how do you even know that move?"

"When you spend thirteen years in an ice box wanting revenge you force yourself to learn," P'Li informed her. "You may think you're giving your friends a chance to get away, only you're not. Several of our members have come to aid us in this important juncture. They'll never make it out of the mountains in time."

Wonder Girl looked outside. P'Li was right, Guardian and the others had been intercepted by two other airships with the Red Lotus symbol. She wished she hadn't dropped her guard as P'Li used a small combustion beam to knock her out. Satisfied the warrior girl was down for a count she started lugging her into the back where a chained and gagged Arsenal looked on with frightened eyes on his hurt teammate.

Outside Flamebird couldn't even stand. Bumi and Kya had already lost. She was running low on supplies and energy. No matter how hard she tried, airbending made it impossible to keep the fight on her terms. The constant attacks had taken a toll. She could feel her body shutting down as it started to fade into unconsciousness. Flamebird, managed to keep upright as she witnessed Tenzin's last stand. Using the heat from P'Li's combustion bending, he performed the Second Forbidden Wind: South Nortos. A superheated wind twisted around the group, causing dehydration and scorching their bodies as if real flames burned their skin. It didn't last longer than five minutes, as Tenzin collapsed to the ground in pain, unable to continue the attack. A second later a harsh wind blast drilled her into the floor. The Red Lotus moved in closer to do who knows what to them.

* * *

The rescue team was making their way as fast as they could to Laghima Peak. They had lost contact with the Northern Air Temple hours ago and had no idea what awaited them. Their only hope to free the airbenders was to go through with the exchange, or at least pretend to. If there was one thing Korra had learned as a member of Young Justice, it was always to have a wild card as your back up.

She was in a back room in their airship with Lord Zuko and Jason. Both of them hunched over a table making specific modifications to his costume. "How soon will the modifications be ready? Do you think you have enough time to go through a quick training course?"

"The modifications will take at least another two hours, but we should be done by then," Jason commented, wincing as a needle pricked his finger drawing blood. "I will never complain again about having to patch up my costume again after this."

"Don't worry, Korra. You're friend here already knows most of what he needs to know. I guess being a "Bat" is a very good think in this other world. Keep focused on your own task, I promise you're wild card will be ready when you need him," Lord Zuko assured her. He reached inside his robe pulling out his precious pearl handed dagger and started sharpening it. Looking at the young man before him, he knew it was time to pass it on to someone else who needed it more than him.

Korra nodded and returned to the main room. Lin, Su, and her dad, were plotting out the plan of attack. When Zaheer refused to give up his leverage or even tell Kilchii the condition of his brother and their friends, they suspected he might be planning a trap. They had no choice but to walk right into it if they had slim hope of rescuing anyone. To her left Asami and the brothers mentally prepared for the exchange. It was up to them to retrieve the airbenders.

The Red Lotus may have planned a trap, but their side had to show good faith first, in case they could get everyone out without loss of life. Asami carefully packed a med kit while Mako warned Bolin to step it up this time. Bolin rolled his eyes and stuck his tongue out. He could handle this, he could feel something building up inside him.

To the right Karen and Virgil were working on their minicomputer, trying to clear up the link between their mini satellite and the receivers they had launched into atmosphere their first day here. Karen was clicking away trying to figure a way to reconfigure the devices remotely so that the signal could penetrate the mountainous terrain. Virgil, was using his powers to try to connect the tracking program with the satellite network to extend the range and depth of the trackers.

"Dang it to the fifth power! How hard is it to get these receivers to transmit at a higher frequency?" Karen moaned frustrated. Once again the computer was saying error. Clenching her fingers together she let out an exasperated sigh. Leaning back in her chair she ranted. "If I was up there on site, I could reposition the components manually to get this to work. Trying to do this long distance is next to impossible."

"Get a grip, I'm no tech geek, and as much as I love science, getting these two programs to work while hiding the presences of the trackers inside Avatar and Red Arrow, is not a picnic." Virgil took a break setting down the tracking device before pulling off his hat and played with it. Behind a dressing screen the outline of Korra getting into her Avatar costume could be seen. At another table Red Arrow worked with the Su's rescue squad to improve his arrows and creating a secondary weapon to use up close. "Are you sure you don't want us on the Peak helping you?"

"We've been through this Virgil, you and Karen, will be hiding a small distance from the temple. The Red Lotus knows about your powers, so they'll be expecting the two of you to be with us. If things go bad, you'll two will be right there to assist the trio," Red Arrow called over his shoulder. Standing up he swung his quiver over his shoulder before pulling on the new sleeves he had added under his wrist guards. It was basic protection to keep his underarms from damage. "You ready?"

Avatar stepped out from behind the screen wearing her new stealth uniform that hugged her body tightly. Snapping on her weapons belt she picked up the newly improved helmet holding it to her side. "Yeah, I'm ready. I hope the Red Lotus has compliments for my new look. Everyone, listen up. We're need to be on our game when we meet with the Red Lotus otherwise we'll end up losing more than the fight."

* * *

A few hours later, Avatar and Red Arrow landed on the top of Laghima's Peak. Both kept their faces neutral as they stared at P'Li and Zaheer. The two lovers only arched a single eyebrow at the changes to their costumes. "Decided to dress up fancy for the occasion? I didn't realize surrendering yourselves to us, warranted a formal look," P'Li commented off hand. Inside she was wondering if the change in outfits was something they had to deal with later on.

"P'Li we can talk fashion later. I'm glad that you decide to join us Korra, Kilchii." (Avatar! Red Arrow!). "Sorry, the Avatar and Red Arrow, a fitting name for the Spirit's Champion. How are your spirit friends?"

"Varuna has nothing to say to you at the moment. He's decided to observe you and come to a decision on his own about how he feels about you and your group."

"Raava and my past lives are quiet right now. Maybe they'll wake up later."

"No need to be snappish. Drop the weapons and the radio. Surrender any technology that you have. Do it now or the airbenders will suffer," Zaheer's voice getting deeper and angrier. P'Li looked back at her lover, something was off with him. He wasn't normally this aggressive, and come to think of it, why had he added the orange cape with the brown mantle to his usual gray outfit today? Shaking her head, she turned back to the young heroes. They had dropped their weapons and radio, but refused to give up their tech.

"If you want us to remove our clothes and be stark naked, then forget it. This isn't a strip show. We came here on good faith and have complied with your orders. Now, if you want us to come closer, then prove you've got our friends at the Air Temple now, or the deal is off," Red Arrow shouted to them.

P'Li wanted to burn them, but instead snatched the radio from Zaheer. "Let one of the airbenders speak, now!" Turning up the volume she held out the device. It crackled as Tenzin's weak voice called out. "Korra, Kilchii, please don't do this oof!" She turned off the radio glaring at them. "That proof enough? It's a short distance radio. Use your heads."

The two heroes moved forward holding out their hands. They didn't resist when the platinum cuffs were secured on their hands and legs. Walking slowly P'Li observed the prisoners. They appeared to calm and hadn't dropped their guard yet. Zaheer moved to hurry them inside the airship when there was a large crackle heard from the sky. It flashed blue, red, yellow, and black. "That's the signal, this deal is off!" Avatar said, earthbending a platform that thrust them back to their weapons. Within seconds the Beifong sisters and the rescue squad appeared on the Peak as Tonraq came up from behind and blasted the two Red Lotus away from the airship. Standing up everyone knew the fight was on.

* * *

Zaheer reacted first twisting around and firing a blast of frigid air at Tonraq, who leaped over him wrapping one water tentacle around his left leg and pulled hard. Zaheer was flung into the air using a sharp air slice to free himself from the tendril. Forming a twister under him he sent several air blasts at the man. Tonraq reacted by firing his own water bullets. The two powers clashed together canceling each other out. Landing on the ground Zaheer did a low air sweep that the Southern Water Tribe later blocked with an ice wall.

Zaheer felt something coming his way so he ducked under and around as six boomerangs flew through the air narrowly missing him. Three arrows shot through the air only to be blown off course. He scrambled around twisting in circles as the boomerangs came back around. A boxing glove arrow struck his head disorienting him for a second as an arc of fire came his way. He managed to draw the oxygen from it causing the flame to sizzle.

Landing on the edge of the peak he quickly assessed the situation. The Avatar and Spirit's Champion were no longer in chains, the platinum had been cut by something super sharp, and most likely those boomerangs made of a special metal. The two of them were working in perfect synchronize as they helped battled him. Tonraq was following their lead while the Beifong sisters and the rescue squad tried to stand up to P'Li. His enhanced hearing could hear sounds of battle carried across the winds from the Northern Air Temple. Ghazan and Ming-Hua would have their hands full, but he knew that they would destroy the trio and any heroes who might be helping them.

"If you think that you can stop freedom and chaos from spreading, then you're far more lost than I thought," Zaheer called out. Unaware that his voice had changed he struck back with a dark airbender attack; raising his hands upward he called down the fiercest winds from the heavens he could. Visibly they could see the air currents mixing as he made the winds wild before unleashing a powerful windstorm at the duo. Red Arrow slammed an arrow down into the ground as a mini wall appeared in front of them as Avatar created a rock ball to protect her father.

"Those dark airbenders are taking over! He's using attacks that we know nothing about!" Avatar shouted over the wind. The computer in her helmet was giving her warnings about the increasing force of the storm.

"We have no choice, but to sit still and then attack with everything we got. Don't worry, I got more than arrows on my side this time." Avatar nodded as the fight between the two heroes, along with the Southern Chief, against the dark airbender master.

P'Li had her hands full. She had decide to surprise the group by using regular firebending. She did a series of fire kicks separating the group. Throwing up a wall of fire to avoid the rocks she sent it forward to break up the rescue squad's formation. She dodged the metal cables letting loose a roar of fire. Su and Lin attacked again with their earthbending so she decided enough was enough. "You want combustion? I'll send you to the Spirit World with it!"

The air became superheated as a quick series of blasts filled the air. Kuvira and her squad mates used their armor to form a thick shield, which barely stopped the attack. "Hold your ground men! We are not letting this combustion bender get the better of us!" She dropped the metal shield running forward. Shooting the metal cables out she lashed them about trying to land a hit on the firebender. P'Li caught one in her hand setting it ablaze. Kuvira cut the cable off to save herself from a third degree burn. Her squad retaliated with massive rocks and platforms, but they just couldn't pin down P'Li. She even used her firebending to lift herself in the air and fired a powerful beam that severed part of the peak sending the squad off the plateau leaving the sisters alone to fight against her.

Back with Zaheer, he continued to unleash several more devastating dark airbending techniques. Yangchen hadn't been kidding when she had said these airbenders had developed mortal attacks. The air around them was alive acting if it had a mind of its own. It was almost as if their essences had become one with air in order to attack them. Avatar and Red Arrow had gotten separated during the fight.

Avatar channeled Kuruk, using his extraordinary waterbending to summon the rivers that ran through the valley to aid her. She thrust her hands forward and twisted before shoving down and up. The rivers did as she commanded flowing through the air trying to subdue him. Tonraq added his own ice flows into the rivers as Red Arrow got in close pushing past the winds and attacked with hand to hand combat. Their foe created an air cocoon saving him from the rivers, but not from the kicks and punches from Red Arrow. His attempt to suck Red Arrow closer didn't work as the boy tossed senbons at him. The projectiles ripped his clothing apart.

"It's time to show you that your philosophy isn't the only way to live! You'll pay for what you did to my family!" Tonraq bellowed coming in from above with an ice covered fist. Suddenly he was stuck in midair as the dark winds held him place. "Say hello the Earth Queen for me." Zaheer whispered as he blasted him off the cliff side.

"DAD!" Avatar screamed racing towards the edge as her partner attempted to tackle Zaheer only for the dark winds to strike their bodies so hard, they felt like the air was ripping them apart, and their costumes couldn't protect them. The winds pounded them, not letting up, before they fell unconscious. As he moved to collect them he felt something inside. He turned in time to watch his beloved blast herself to death. "P'Li!" Something severed inside him. Grabbing the two heroes he hurried to the edge of the cliff. Repeating Laghima's poem one more time, he fell into the void, only to rise up in the air with true flight. The sisters watched in astonishment as soared away.

* * *

While this had been going on, the fight at Northern Air Temple was also taking place. First Ghazan and Ming-Hua revealed their treachery, so Mako had used an extra ear com, to alert Static, who had created the signal warning the others. That's when the fight for survival had started. The trio had quickly been put on defense as Ghazan and Ming-Hua's superior bending giving them a distinct advantage. At the moment Asami was supporting Tenzin, who could barely move, on her shoulders as Mako and Bolin attempted to switch from defense to offense.

"Tenzin, Tenzin, wake up, we need you," Asami whispered to him. She took a few steps back and dragged the man behind a column to avoid the lava sparks. "Come on, tell me where are the rest of the airbenders? The Young Justice members, what happened to them?" she persisted. The temple was shaking as the fighting continued. "Answer me already Tenzin!"

"I don't know, I was using the Second Forbidden Wind, but I was already weakened from using the First. When I woke tied up and they were all gone. I think they took the members of Young Justice with them, because I haven't seen them," he whispered. Asami bit her lip as her eyes narrowed. Tilting her head out, she gave a shout to her boyfriend. "MAKO! We need to take them alive! It's the only way to find the others."

"You really must be stupid if you think we'll talk to you. We didn't break after thirteen years, with our goal so close at hand, we won't now," Ming-Hua hissed. Turning part of her arms into steam she bent it over the lava causing it to expand, picking up dangerous underground fumes, sending it towards the group so they choke to death.

Bolin created a wall of earth before splitting it into smaller pieces bending them all over the in a crazy pattern. Ming-Hua was dodging about to avoid the columns as Ghazan crushed them with a single bunch. Three fireballs hit near his feet only for his partner to spray ice all over it. "We're not letting you escape! Tell us where our friends are now!" Mako shouted.

"Doesn't matter if we tell you or not. I'm burying you right here and now!" Ghazan told them. He locked eyes with Bolin for a second, "Hey movie star, if you survive this attack, I'll be waiting to go one on one with you!" With that he created a massive wave of lava to start pouring out from every crevice in the temple. With a laugh both members of the Red Lotus made their escape.

They had just reached the second airship when a strange sight greeted them. There was a series of floating sparkling rocks hanging in the sky at different levels all around them. The thing was, Ghazan hadn't bent them up and with Bolin stuck fleeing from the lava, and there wasn't any earthbender near enough to pull off this "What in the world?"

"You like it? It's the first time I've tried to be an earthbender, well sort of. Did you know that if you magnetize the particles inside a charged stone you can make it float a little bit?" Static asked. He was on his flying disc with a smug look on his face. "Of course I needed to add a little more juice then normal to get this many up and levitating, good thing Asami gave me those battery packs to recharge." Lowering his new purple shades he let loose an electric storm connecting with the entire field of floating rocks. "Time to give you a shock to your system!" Without another word he flew down hurling several of the charged stones at them.

"I got this, I'm not afraid of silly rocks!" Ming-Hua cackled. She reached out to intercept the rocks only for Ghazan to cover her entirely in earth armor severing her water tendrils. The rocks pummeled her, but didn't hurt as severely as they could. "What was that for you rock head?!"

"Sure, yell at the guy who prevented you from being electrocuted to death. That's really nice. Get the ship going, Zaheer and P'Li will need us to get off the Peak." The special bender pointed towards the other battle happening nearby. Sullen, Ming-Hua did as she was told as Ghazan continued to battle Static.

* * *

Meanwhile the rest of the group was following Tenzin's directions to get out through the back door of the temple. Asami was about to take the first step up to the radio room when a tiny voice said, "You can't go that way, the lava is spewing up there from another crack."

"Bumblebee, I'm really glad to see you, but could you find us another exit fast. I don't know how much longer I can keep blocking the flow behind us," Bolin exclaimed. He pushed and tightened more of the rock hoping to plug up the flow, but it was already starting to break.

"Follow me, I found another route, the Mechanist must have added it and forgot to tell anyone about it, when the Northern Air Temple was being restored." She zipped up and down a different set of stairs as the others followed her. Behind them the lava continued to flow as Bolin tried to slow it down. After a few minutes a few minutes they came to dead-end.

"There's nothing here, except a wall with old airbender poems! How's this help us," Mako thundered. Bumblebee ignored him as she flew all over the wall until she found what she was looking for. A poem about escaping the fire, by taking away the air inside. "Mako, you have to heat up this poem with your firebending now. Don't question me, just do it!" So Mako heated it up. They all took a step back as they heard gears winding and springs stretching. The wall opened up. "Come on let's go!" They all followed her into secret passage the wall closing behind them just as the lava arrived.

"The wall won't hold the lava back long, we need to keep moving," Asami reminded the group. Adjusting her hold on Tenzin they continued down the steep slope. "Did you know about this place?" Tenzin shook his head. He was starting to see that this old place had a lot of secrets.

"Flamebird found that wall a few days ago and told me about it. She said the poem about fire was newer than the other ancient writings. She surmised that the Mechanist must have created this passage as an escape route for his people should the Fire Nation break their word. He took a gamble creating a door with a poem about fire, to heat up the mechanism, then again, soldiers weren't interest in poetry," Bumblebee explained.

"I hope the end of this tunnel isn't blocked up," Bolin commented. Suddenly they felt the heat increase, the lava was flowing downhill fast. He created a side tunnel as the hurried through it, eventually coming to the end where he bent open the mountain. They were still too high up to get down safely. Even at full size Bumblebee wasn't sure she could carry anyone down.

Something inside Bolin changed, it was like a part of his soul that was blocked, now opened. Turning towards the lava he stared it down. Ignoring his brother's calls he rushed over and bent the _lava_ until it was in a solidified state. With a grin he looked at his brother. "I may not be a metalbender, but I am a rare lavabender." He enjoyed seeing Mako stunned expression.

There was a whistle sound and the smell of ozone. "Hi everyone, need a lift?" Kai asked. He was riding the baby bison he bonded with it, Lefty, while Static hovered next to him. Judging by their appearance both of them had been through a lot. Tenzin, Asami and Mako got on Lefty while Bolin hitched a ride with Static. The group was meeting in the valley to discuss their next move.

* * *

When they landed everyone appeared tired and injured. The Beifong sisters described what they had seen, it astonished Tenzin the most. Korra, had created her own sub bending with gravity, but it wasn't the same as truly being one with air and flying. Korra hadn't developed it enough to the point where she could use it on herself to imitate true flight.

Kai wasn't much help either. He said that when the other Red Lotus Airships had arrived and started to attack he had acted impulsively trying to draw their attention away so Guardian could help the airbenders escape. He hadn't lasted more than five minutes before he crashed down into the mountains. Lefty had saved him, but he hadn't been able to catch up with the airships before turning back to save the Air Temple group.

"So that it? We're not going to be save anyone and stop the Red Lotus from carrying out their goal with Korra and Kilchii. I refuse to accept defeat," Lin stated. "There has to be a way to find them."

Static raised his hands, "Um did you all forget our wild card? I wasn't just trying to stop Ghazan and Ming-Hua. Sure, if I could have stopped them, it would have been great, but my main goal was to be a distraction." That got their eyes to widen, they had forgotten that Korra had planned a wild card.

Next to Static; Bumblebee pulled out the tracking device as Static powered up the system. Those levitating rocks had served another purpose. They had manage to boost the signal of the trackers so that the satellite and receivers penetrated the mountainous region. Smiling triumphantly Bumblebee showed them the screen where six green lights blinked and bleeped. Three of those lights blinked close together, and thanks to the satellites geographical mapping, appeared that they were being held in a cave system, nearer to the surface. Two dots blinked further down about a mile and half away from the trio. The single dot was on the move making its way towards the other two.

"According to this tracker, the Red Lotus is occupying a series of caves about two and half miles away. Our wild card is going after Avatar and Red Arrow, indicating he believes that the others can save themselves. I bet my entire allowance that Arsenal is being kept with the airbenders. We need to get moving now."

"How are all going to get there? We simply don't have enough transportation," Su pointed out. A loud rumble filled the air. Tenzin spotted Oogi. The faithful bison landed nuzzling his partner. "Looks like we got transport. Kuvira, I need you to stay with the injured. Protect them until we come back with Avatar and Spirit's Champion, understood."

"Yes, please be careful Su. Zaofu needs you." Su climbed aboard Oogi along with her sister, Tenzin, along with Tonraq and Asami. Bolin and Mako joined Kai on Lefty as Bumblebee joined Static on his disc for fast travel. With a wave goodbye the heroes led the way to the caves.

* * *

Under the guard of four guards the airbenders sat with chains. Hanging from the cave wall in manacles hung the four members of Young Justice. Upon capture the Red Lotus had tried to strip them of their costumes and weapons, meeting with mixed results. They had gotten Flamebird's utility belt, Guardian's gauntlets, and had taken most of Arsenal's weapons, but couldn't remove Wonder Girl's lasso. None of their costumes had come off either, not even with bending, thanks to a special program in the clothes to lock the costumes on. At the moment the heroes appeared to be unconscious.

Whimpers and cries could be heard. "Keep it down! If I hear one more sound I'll bend you under a dome!" one guard snapped. He hated being stuck with guard duty. "I should have got to go to the ceremony instead of stuck here."

"Keeping these airbenders secured is an important step in our goals. As long as we have them, then we can use them to force the other nations to hand over their leaders. Just be patient."

"Besides, look at the bigger picture. Once we set this world free, Zaheer will lead us into the Spirit World so we can liberated those crazy kids world."

"Sounds like fun, I can't wait to unleash all sorts of chaos."

The guards moment was ruined as the whimpers and cries continued. The first guard turned around about to bend when Pema spoke up pleadingly. "Please, we have children who are in need of water. Others have injuries getting worse because of the cold. Can't we get some blankets and something to drink?"

The guards started debating whether to give the prisoners what they wanted or just get rid of the annoying ones. The airbenders edged around Jinora, who was astral projecting at the moment searching for Korra and Kilchii, but instead found herself with her father's group. She hurriedly tried to tell them everything, only to find herself yanked back to her body.

Jinora found herself lying on the ground, a giant bruise forming on her head. "Stop whatever spirit thing you're doing or I might just kill you now!" The third guard said. The fourth guard already snatched back his keys from Meelo's grubby hands. "None of you are getting out of this alive if you keep this up." The first and second guard nodded in agreement. The three benders and the one non-bender reached a silent agreement. They moved closer to finish the airbenders off.

That's when the heroes dropped their act. "Not on my watch you scum!" Wonder Girl shouted. She pushed off the wall pulling herself free from the manacles. Flipping in midair she used her lasso to snag the keys and tossed them to Arsenal. He used his one hand to unlock himself falling free. With a quick pivot of his feet Flamebird was free and leaping into action stunning them with her light blast from her eyes while Guardian broke free and proceeded to rip apart the airbenders chains apart.

Arsenal tackled the non-bender and locked him into a head lock with his one arm. "Where's our stuff? Tell me now!" The non-bender refused to say anything breaking free. He thought he had the advantage over a one armed opponent, but Arsenal had trained for just this moment. Slipping and weaving around his foe shoved him from behind off balancing him. The guard twisted around to land a hit only for the stump blocked his attack. Arsenal bent down and used his upper body strength to land a head-butt knocking the guard out. "Our stuff has to nearby, come on where would I put tech I didn't understand?" Snapping his fingers he hurried down a narrow path towards the docked airships.

Back with the airbenders, the rest of the team was holding their own. Even without their tech, beat up, and weak, they did their best to protect the airbenders. The airbenders had managed to keep up with the other three guards, but their lack of experience showed. These guards had obviously been trained to handle airbenders. Not even Kya or Bumi could do anything.

"Now would be a great time for backup to show," Guardian told his friends who nodded. Flamebird nodded as Wonder Girl tried to block the fire attacks. That's when they heard a partially horsed voice call out. "Forbidden Wind Three: Eastern Eurus!" The guards looked petrified as a powerful wind struck the mountain causing the already wet stones to change into a massive mudslide aimed for them.

The earthbender tried to stop it, but someone else seemed to be controlling it. The mud swarmed around them before hardening into solid rock. A well timed water whip and several air blasts kept the guards from bending until Guardian knocked their heads together. Oogi hovered on the side as his passengers disembarked and reunited with the airbender.

Arsenal came running back up the path tossing the items to their owners. Static and Bumblebee landed in front of them, his prosthetic fully repaired. Gratefully, he snapped it back in place opening and closing his hand to making sure he could use. "Thanks, give me the update fast."

"Avatar and Red Arrow have been captured and our held hostage further down in the cave system. The Red Lotus lost P'Li, but Zaheer has gained the ability fly. At the moment the brothers are running to the rescue after Kai found a small opening in the rocks. The boy will meet the airbenders at the bottom of the mountain. Our wild card is almost on top of the Red Lotus, ready to disrupt their ritual, but he'll need back up," Bumblebee reported matter of fact.

Arsenal nodded his understanding. He took control of the situation. "Beifongs, Tenzin, get everyone down to bottom of the mountain. Make sure no one gets hurt. Young Justice will pursue and neutralize the Red Lotus to rescue our teammates. Tonraq, I understand how you feel, but you have to follow my commands if we're to pull this off. Can you do that?"

Tonraq nodded, having complete trust in the young man. Accepting Tonraq's acknowledgment, Arsenal quickly called out a formation. The team fell in line ready to enter the cave system, when Guardian halted them, he insisted something was eating at his suit. Flamebird pulled out air scanner from her utility belt. Her eyes widened with disbelief. "The guards must have set up a trap near the entrance. I'm detecting large amounts of metal toxicity gas, mercury to be exact. We need to neutralize it before we proceed."

"How do we do that?" Tonraq asked anxiously. Every minute they stood there was another second Korra and Kilchii didn't have. Looking at the entrance he just wanted to run in there, but if he did he die quickly, leaving his daughter in a worse situation that before.

"I've got sodium sulphide powder, but how do we spread it into the air without using airbending? If the winds to hot the mercury will increase and kill everyone," Flamebird asked. Tonraq used a water limb to grab the powder, carefully searching for the source of the fumes. He found a container and poured the powder in it, neutralizing it. Su and Lin used their remaining metal to cover the ceiling trapping the rest of the vapors. A quick scan confirmed that the air was safe. Without hesitation they entered the cave system.

* * *

Just outside the cavern where Avatar and Red Arrow were being suspended were four guards spread apart watching all the paths to the cavern. Each was on alert for signs of help coming to disrupt the ritual. Their orders were simple. Kill anyone who came to help the two prisoners. Nothing was going to stop them from fulfilling their duties. They were completely unaware that someone was already in their area moving unseen.

Crawling upside down across the ceiling was a black shadow with hint of red. The person moved with stealth and grace. The shadow paused for a minute holding completely still as one of the guards looked up for a second before turning away. Thankful they looked the other way, the shadow reached down and pulled out a small grappling line, firing it quietly across the room to the farthest guard. Sliding across the room undetected he landed quietly behind one of the guards. The shadow threw something to draw the man's attention elsewhere. That's when the shadow went into action.

The guard had no time to react as two broadswords struck from behind slicing his clothes to pieces. Darting around the shadow managed to avoid a being hit by water, kicking the man in the back. Grabbing the man's left arm the mysterious shadow twisted the limb behind the man's back using the extra weight to push him to the floor. The guard was about to bend free when a red powder sprayed in his face. He was out cold in seconds. After securing the guard and hiding him, the shadow systematically removed the others before heading into the main chamber.

Red Arrow and Korra were wide awake with horrified expressions on their faces. Zaheer had just explained the Red Lotus plans to ensure true freedom, anarchy, and chaos reigned. They would poison the Avatar with mercury causing her to go into the Avatar State to survive, before they killed her ending the cycle. With her death weakening her soul mate, Varuna would have to act, by taking over his host to carry out his duties. Once the spirit was in control they'd murder Red Arrow as well to prevent another Spirit's Champion from rising.

"You won't get away with this! I won't go into the Avatar State!"

"I won't allow Varuna to surface. With his vast knowledge he knows not to appear and he isn't driven by emotional attachment!"

"Yeah right, pipe down, both of you will be dead soon enough," Ming-Hua chortled. Ghazan grinned as Zaheer looked at the two with a solemn look before grinning evilly. "Today the Red Lotus wins!" The metal benders had started to bend the poison towards Avatar intent on shoving it through her clothing into her skin. Red Arrow struggled to get free to help her, but it made no difference.

The second before the poison was to touch her, several smoke bombs went off filling the cavern with black smoke. The Red Lotus coughed as they heard the sound of metal clanking. An outline of someone could be seen freeing the Spirit's Champion and making its way to the Avatar. One of the metalbender tore the earth apart to prevent that, only for the shadow to jump and cut one chain before falling towards him. Something small and sharp struck him in upper thigh causing him to fall to one knee.

Zaheer had had enough doing away with the smokescreen. The shadow had moved away from the second metal bender, satisfied the poison had spill all around the room. Red Arrow was nowhere in sight. The trio of benders were about to search when a bombardment of batarangs and arrows showed them. The special metal ones gluing the feet of the trio to the floor. As they struggled to get free they saw their intruder.

It was a teenager, possibly a young man, in a costume that somewhat resembled the fable Blue Spirit. The pants were a dark black with red lining made for flexibility and protection. Brown stiff boots with black soles with retractable grips for climbing with ankle holster for a pearl handled dagger. The chest was thinner made of cloths with a Kevlar padding underneath and a red belt full of tools. To his elbows were thick black Kevlar that switched to red gloves with a tiny bit of fur concealing secret launchers with retractable claws. Strapped to his back was a scabbard for the broadswords he held. They couldn't see the kanji written on the back, but they saw the red dragon emperor mask on his face. It was the Red Spirit!

"Red Lotus meet Red Spirit. Let's see whose better at using red. Spirit's Champion go help Avatar Korra now!" Red Spirit sprang into action using stealth, speed and weapons to keep the trio of balance just as the brothers arrived. They went to help Korra, but it was too late. She let a scream heard up the tunnel where the cavalry was. The poison had been forcefully shoved into her body and she was dying.


	9. F5 Tornado

Avatar screamed in pain. She twisted and convulsed. Her eyes going wide as she saw hallucinations of her past enemies. Her head pounded as she started to struggle to breath. She needed treatment quickly or she would succumb to death. "Someone…help…me…" she called out with a raspy voice, her esophagus already starting to close up. Her eyes blinked white for a second as her jewelry started to glow then stopped.

"She's trying to prevent herself from going into the Avatar State! We need to hurry," Red Arrow whispered to Red Spirit who nodded. A quick look around them showed that would be harder than they thought. The trio had already freed themselves, and more guards started coming in from other entrances. The Red Lotus weren't going to make this easy. Especially since Red Arrow was still a target because of his position. They needed a plan and fast.

There was the sound of hurried steps and suddenly Young Justice burst into the cavern. "Alpha, help the brothers take down Ming-Hua and Ghazan. Betas free Avatar, Tonraq, Gammas, get Zaheer, I'll protect my brother. Execute now!" Arsenal commanded, throwing a mini bombs into the mix, setting of a series of small explosions. While the Red Lotus got unbalanced everyone carried out their part.

* * *

Mako fired a powerful fireball at Ming-Hua who created an ice shield to protect herself. Whipping her tentacles around, she attempted to slice the firebender in half, who countered with fire lashes. Steam billowed in the air, before the waterbender manipulated the steam making it bigger, cloaking herself from sight. Mako stood his ground listening with his ears. He heard something coming low and to his right. He jumped doing a spinning fire kick that broke up some of the steam. Icicles shot at him as he created fire knifes in his hands slashing them apart.

"Give up little firebender, you can't beat me. I'll make your death quick if you surrender now," Ming-Hua taunted. She was lying of course, she was going to make this painful and drawn out. A crackle with a hint of ozone gave her a split second to dodge before a powerful electrical blast struck the spot she had stood on.

"You are the craziest woman I've ever met and that's not a compliment!" Static shouted soaring above her. He had to be careful here. Water could short-circuit him if he was hit full on. On the other hand, he could electrocute her if sent a strong enough current through her, making him a murderer. He didn't want that to happen.

"I'm going to rip you to shreds and drown the pieces of it!" Forming two limbs into an ice drill piercing the ceiling causing stalactites down at the hero. Static ducked and weaved only for his disc to be ripped right out from under him by her water hooks. She whipped her thin sharp limbs at him only for Mako to block her with a firewall. Static hit the ground hard, but rose back to his feet. He ran, jumped, and slid around to avoid the water attacks as he came up next to Mako. "Thanks, I thought I be a drowned rat."

"Welcome, why didn't you just strike her down?" he asked. An ice creeper came their way so he quickly melted it. Static formed an energy ball before flinging it at Ming-Hua catching her in the chest. She screamed in reaction to the attack, instinctively removing her limbs, to avoid the spread of the energy. Angrily, she gathered her water up once more only for Static to fire more balls at her pushing her back.

"I can't keep this up forever and I refuse to kill her, no matter how much danger our lives are in. I'm a member of Young Justice and we don't kill," he warned his friend. Mako nodded, knowing if they were to defeat the waterbender, it would be up to him to finish her.

It was a similar situation with Guardian and Bolin. Ghazan seemed delighted to see Bolin learned to use his secret power, now they could properly fight. He dug deep splitting the floor in two as lava oozed up. He sent spinning, flaming, shrukiens at Bolin, who reacted by creating lavabent kunai to strike the shrukiniens, deflecting the attack away form himself. Watching the whole thing was Guardian, waiting to make his move.

"You go high I'll hit him low," Bolin hissed at Guardian who nodded. The earthbender created a floating platform that Guardian jumped on it. Bolin sent it flying towards Ghazan before bending up more lava sending it flooding towards the man's feet. Ghazan held up his hands changing it to rock before sending it back at Bolin in its molted state. Bolin reacted jumping up grabbing a stalactite. Swinging from one to the next he broke them loose sending them at Ghazan who countered with his own earthbending. Ghazan was so focused on Bolin he didn't realize that Guardian was hovering above him.

Guardian dropped with legs locked landing right on top of Ghazan, driving the man deep into earth creating a mini Ghazan crater. Not giving the man a chance to recover, he picked him up holding him high in the air before starting to spin him around faster and faster. Once he was properly disoriented he hugged him to his chest pulling tight hoping to knock the wind out of him, but Ghazan reached out with his feet calling up the rock to trap the teen's legs. Breaking free he turned to lavabend him, but his target was gone having been sucked under and up to Bolin's side. They gave each other a quick glance knowing this would be a tough fight.

While this was happening Bumblebee and Wonder Girl had managed to weave their way towards Avatar. Landing on the platform where she hung suspended by three chains. The girls started to work on freeing her. "Hold on Korra, we're going to get you out of this," Bumblebee assured her, using her given name to comfort her. Staying large she used her Stinger Blasts to work on her legs while Wonder Girl attempted get her other hand free.

"Korra, what's going on? How are you feeling?" Wonder Girl asked anxiously as she pulled at the chain. Even with her super strength she was having difficulty getting the metal to break. A powerful wind blast sent her flying as she fought against it landing back on the ring. She gripped the ring tightly creating grooves in the in the ring. "Ugh, Zaheer will not give up."

"You're not real ahhh. I can't keep this up for ahh long." Avatar whispered, her lungs were slowly shutting down as her muscles twitched and weakened. Signs of her entering the Avatar State started to show indicating they needed to hurry. They continued with their work even as two waterbenders showed up, forcing Wonder Girl to float in the air as she used her bracelets to deflect the incoming ice and water attacks.

Tonraq, Flamebird and Red Spirit had managed to maneuver Zaheer into a small enclosed cavern. There wasn't a lot of room for him to dodge and if he used his bending, he would more likely hurt himself than them. Flamebird flung her birdarangs as he floated up only to be brought back down by Tonraq. Red Spirit moved in to injure him with his swords managing to slash Zaheer. The Dark Airbending Master created several air blade at once. The cavern around them shattered apart as his dark aura became visible. "You are nothing against me. I am the greatest airbender and will bring freedom to this world!" Creating funnels he started shooting projectiles at them.

"Take cover!" Tonraq commanded as they all dove behind a small wall of earth. They covered their heads as all around them several different airbending techniques raged. "We're pinned. The essences of the dark airbenders gave him the power to use multiple techniques at once, without getting exhausted," Flamebird stated. She looked around frantically trying to figure out their next move.

"I can't get close enough to tie him up with weighted bolos. None of my other devices in my belt can help, and if I can't reach him my blades and powders are useless."

"We have to contain him somehow. If we don't than he'll kill my daughter."

Suddenly a loud humming followed by a wave of spiritual energy hit everyone at once. The fighting stopped, as a bright glow filled the room. Zaheer was smiling as Red Arrow and Arsenal looked up having dispatched the guards. Terror filled the hearts of the heroes and the brothers, as Avatar Korra entered the Avatar State to save herself.

* * *

"NO! Korra calm down now!" Red Arrow shouted at her, but his words fell to deaf ears. Spirit energy flooded her before it burst out in circle waves, shredding parts of her costume than striking everyone. Huge, flaming chunks of the cave crashed around them nearly killing them. Several enhanced air sweeps were aimed at Zaheer, who tore them apart with his own airbending. He started to fly only to find himself pinned by the force of gravity.

"_**I will not be tethered to this false world anymore!" **_ Zaheer bellowed as the essences of the dark airbenders took complete control. The air pressure built up around him until it exploded setting him free. He flew up to the top of the cave and out an opening in the ceiling. Korra didn't hesitate to go after him, using a combination of fire and gravity bending to propel herself into the sky.

Arsenal fired a mini missile gun blowing up the side of the cave. Mako and Bolin yelled at their partners to go after Korra and that they would deal with the remaining Red Lotus members. Bolin even threw up a lava wall before cooling it to keep Ghazan and Ming-Hua from following them. The whole team and Tonraq stood on the cusp of the blown wall looking into the sky to see Korra using enhanced firebending, using the heat in the air to increase her fire attacks as Zaheer dodged about in the sky.

"This is seriously bad, she can't fight him and the poisoning at the same time. If she keeps this up, the poison will just spread through her system faster killing her quickly, especially considering how much mercury they used," Bumblebee stated. Her own goggle computers informing her about the situation from the weather to the health of the fighters.

"Can you do anything to help her take down Zaheer?" Tonraq questioned Red Arrow quickly. The boy shook his head, looking very upset. "Varuna says he can't use his powers on Zaheer without hurting Korra at the same time because of how fast their moving. We need to separate them first before he can do anything."

"I think I can use my portable anti poison kit, to make a vial of chelation, but it won't cure her completely, she'll need a real hospital for that," Red Spirit informed them. He needed to get to Asami with the med kit to even start the process. Tonraq said he would take him down to the base of the mountain. The twins would accompany him to lead a ground assault. The four of them started heading for the bottom as fast as they could.

Flamebird pressed her ear come connecting with Tenzin. "I need you to use the Fourth Forbidden Wind: West Zephyr. Yes, I know it's dangerous, but control it, we need it to give us the boost to fight one on one with Zaheer!" Two minutes later the air around them changed. This wind was warm and friendly giving them the speed they needed as the team took to the sky. (The wind was forbidden because it took control of several airbenders air to give one incredible boost of speed and power; power that could kill another airbender).

* * *

As they engaged in battle the ear coms crackled and suddenly throughout the entire area music started playing. Korra must have inadvertently activate her music player as an appropriate theme song started to play. The song was "If Today Was Your Last Day," by Nickleback.

_"My best friend gave me the best advice. He said each day's a gift and not a given right. Leave no stone unturned, leave your fears behind. And try to take the path less traveled by. That first step you take is the longest stride."_

Korra levitated in mid-air, watching Zaheer as he flew around looking for an opening. The glow in her eyes grew brighter as felt all her past lives surge through her, the power of Harmonic Convergence in her fingertips. Forming claws she called down a shower of hail infused with spirit energy striking Zaheer on his backside. The black aura around him fluctuated as the essence inside him slowly started to disappear

The retaliation was brutal. Hundreds of mini air bombs exploded in the sky battering Korra back and forth, ripping sections of her exposed off. Blood fell from the sky as she hurled boulders at him. She landed on the ground gather water from the river and created several razor rings. She flicked her wrists quickly aiming at different parts of Zaheer body. The flying man managed to avoid the first assault, but he couldn't avoid the second, which cut through his pants and opened wounds on his legs.

_"If today was your last day and tomorrow was too late. Could you say goodbye to yesterday? Would you live each moment like your last? Leave old pictures in the past. Donate every dime you have? If today was your last day." _

Korra was about to attack again, just as a wave of pain racked her body. Her body spasmed and her legs gave out. She pushed herself out of the water, rolling onto the earth as another painful attack hit. She coughed and cried out, her body was feeling heavy and at the same time she swore she could taste the metal in her body. Her past lives started slipping away, back into her bracelet as the poison started to win the battle.

Eyes gleaming Zaheer dove to attack only to have to pull up high as several shots nearly struck him. On the ground near the base of the cave, he spied the twins standing together. The one with the fake arm had some type of projectile device, (a modified flare gun), lined up at him. He sneered at the boys, "Wait your turn, I'll becoming for you next Spirit's Champion!" Said person's response was to have airbenders to help hurl a jii, (his backup weapon that he'd been training with), at him. The double-bladed halberd zoomed at him. He deflected it so only one edge grazed his head before he bent it back at the boys, who jumped back to avoid being hit.

Red Arrow gritted his teeth turning to his brother. "Do you have long-range weapons that could take him out? Like, I don't know, a sniper gun?!" Arsenal looked at him if he was crazy, "You really think Olly or the other League members would allow me access to an assignation weapon? They barely trust my wife!"

"Would you two idiots shut up already? Trying to make an antidote on the fly with no lab is difficult enough, without you two yelling!" Red Spirit snapped at him. He had removed his red mask so now he was only wearing his domino mask, cursing under his breath about not having access to the Batcave's lab right now. Asami was helping him, but even she wasn't sure if this would work.

"We have to do something before he kills my daughter, or worse, the poison takes her life," Tonraq stated. He looked at Tenzin and then started begging him. "Please, I know you have one last forbidden technique you can use. If you and the other airbenders work as one, we might be able to pull Zaheer down."

"I can't! Using those techniques, I fear will injure myself or lose my mind if I use one more technique!" The airbending master lost all composure as he clearly trembled. The panic and fear radiating off him causing the rest of the airbenders to freeze up. He just couldn't do it. He looked down ashamed.

"Tenzin, listen to the music for a just a minute please," Red Arrow pleaded with the man. Surprised, he listened as the song started to play again. The lyrics clearly getting to him as Jinora held his hand.

_"Against the grain should be a way of life. What's worth the prize is always worth the fight. Every second counts 'cause there's no second try. So live like you'll never live it twice. Don't take the free ride in your own life." _

Understanding the meaning of the song, he joined the airbenders as they started to create a new move to aid the fight. Everyone took a few steps back as the power started to grow. Hopefully this would work.

* * *

Deciding to ignore whatever was happening on the ground, Zaheer turned his attention back to Korra. In the few minutes he'd been distracted, she managed to bend some water over herself in an attempt to heal. Foolish girl, she couldn't simply rid herself of the poison with a bit of healing. Flying in closer he fired several air balls at her. Korra screamed as she got lifted up and then dropped down on the earth again. He did it repeatedly, her body scrapping across the rock opening more wounds.

Before he could do it again something sharp embedded into his back. A strong electrical current filled his body shocking him badly. He faltered a few feet in the air before whipping around blasting two powerful air punches, but his prey wasn't there. A sudden shower of yellow capsules exploded as the supercharged light surrounded him, blinding him for a time and nearly set him off a seizure. He fell backwards being super strength punched by two separate fists slamming into the mountain wall. Something stung his shoulders making him bellow before releasing a massive airwave as Young Justice scattered in the air.

_"If today was your last day and tomorrow was too late. Could you say goodbye to yesterday? Would you live each moment like your last? Leave old pictures in the past. Donate every dime you have? Would you call old friends you never see? Reminisce old memories, would you forgive your enemies? Would you find that one you're dreamin' of? Swear up and down to God above that you finally fall in love_? _If today was your last day?"_

Young Justice watched their foe carefully. Below they saw Korra withering in pain. Even from a distance her white eyes stood out as she rolled near the edge. Static dove down, his electric powers surged around Guardian magnetizing him. Using both hands he hurled his friend through the air releasing him from his powers. Guardian stuck his landing, pushing off he sped towards Korra, grabbing her up in his arms, before he jumped off and used on hand to start to loop around the column back towards the ground.

"NO! SHE'S MINE! CHAOS WILL RULE!"

"Shut your mouth right now!" Flamebird commanded, gliding down before kicking him in the chin sending him up into the air. Catching a breeze she glided back up and looped around him shoving her legs into his chest, literally knocking the wind out of him.

Bumblebee grew to full size, wrapping her arms and legs around Zaheer. Jerking backwards, she used her momentum and weight to pull him down. The bigger man was struggling as she drove a stinger into the back of his neck. The dark airbenders didn't like that one, their aura pulsating sending the girl down towards the ground. Bumblebee recovered. Instead of going after Zaheer again she flew towards Guardian, firing her Stinger Guns to prevent the mad airbender from going after them. He would have none of that as he created a mini air missile at the two heroes, hoping to take them down and perhaps kill Korra in the process.

Wonder Girl didn't like that one little bit. Holding her arms in front of her she powered through the air attacks slamming her full weight into him. With a flick of her wrist she threw her lasso wrapping it around Zaheer's legs and the lower half of his body, pulling him down as Static grabbed the lasso to help pull. They both sent an electric shock through the rope causing the Red Lotus member to endure a painful attack. His dark aura flared, protecting him from further shocks. The dark master tried to break free. He was determined to go after Korra and Red Arrow. the duo just shouted at each other. "Pull harder, we can do this!"

**"I will crush you all! Nothing will stop me from bringing chaos to the world! The Air Nomads will be wiped out once more, for only I am worthy of being an airbender!" **

_"If today was your last day. Would you make your mark by mending a broken heart? You know it's never too late to shoot for the stars, regardless of who you are. So do whatever it takes 'cause you can't rewind a moment in this life. Let nothin' stand in your way. Cause the hands of time are never on your side."_

The two Young Justice members struggled pulling him down. His dark aura traveled down the rope before touching their hands. Instantly the aura burned them as the air around them got thinner. Zaheer was preparing another attack, only to have him his arms and upper chest bound. Flamebird pressed a button on her suit causing those earlier thrown birdarangs to start playing the Canary Cry over and over. Even with three people pulling hard, the last member of the Red Lotus was breaking free.

That's when the airbenders new move gave them aid. Combining the Fifth Forbidden Wind: Aeolis God, with Jinora's massive tornado, the weather changed. A great storm appeared in the sky as hail and wind blew around them all. Young Justice endeared the storm. In fact, the weather seemed aimed only at their captive and aided them by weakening Zaheer. His dark aura vanished, his struggles getting less and less. The kids pulled hard going into the eye, bouncing their prisoner into the walls of the tornado, not giving up.

_"If today was your last day and tomorrow was too late. Could you say goodbye to yesterday?"_

With one final tug Zaheer slammed into the ground and instantly trapped in an earth prison. Bumblebee and Guardian came sliding in, with Korra depositing her on the ground as Red Spirit quickly injected her with a chetation dose. She bulked and cried, but her eyes returned to normal as the small dose counter acted the poison. Hopefully it was bind and neutralize some of the mercury.

Su kneeled down, feeling for the poison. Slowly she started to bend it out of Korra. Her mouth opened wide as the poison slowly slipped out and then contained it in an earth ball. The amount bent out didn't match what had been given to her, meaning most of it had already been absorbed by her system. Everyone waited with bated breath, hoping Korra would come out of the Avatar State healed.

_"Would you live each moment like your last? Leave old pictures in the past? Donate every dime you have? Would you call old friends you never see? Reminisce old memories, would you forgive your enemies? Would you find that one you're dreamin' of? Swear up and down to God above that you finally fall in love. If today was your last day?"_

Korra eyes returned to normal, she was coughing and still had tremors. "Dad, you're alive, I'm so glad, ugh." Tonraq held her tightly in his arms wishing he could do something. Young Justice shared a look before stating the obvious. "She needs specific treatment to cure her, the kind you can't find here. We need to get back to Air Temple Island fast, so we can take her back to our world for treatment," Red Spirit stated bluntly. The adults nodded, knowing it was the truth. First, they had to deal with Zaheer.

* * *

"No! I won't let you! Chaos will reign! I will kill the Avatar and the Spirit's Champion! You will…"

"YOU WILL BE SILENT!" a very angry voice shouted. Everyone watched as the winds swirled around as Amaterasu appeared. The Guardian Spirit of the Air Nomads strode over to the captive, her kimono flapping furiously behind her. She crossed her arms as her eyes bored into Zaheer. "Do you know who I am?" Zaheer nodded as he opened his mouth to speak only for her to silence him with closed fist. "You will speak only when you're spoken too and will not interrupt me. After all you're under my jurisdiction."

"How can you stand there and allow them to continue to live?! The natural order of the world is chaos! True freedom can't exist while governments tighten control over the people? Freedom belongs to the airbenders, yet these new ones only wish to follow the example of a flawed reality. I will ooom!" At that moment Red Arrow placed a gag in his mouth. The Spirit's Champion connected with Varuna as they prepared to bring about justice.

"I can see why those dark airbenders merged with you. Zaheer, you have the right to your opinions and expressing them, but you _don't have_ the right to take a life!" Red Arrow snapped. As he continued speaking it became clear that both host and spirit were on the same page. **"You're not the judge, jury, or executioner for the entire world. The Earth Queen fate should have been decided by her people and a sentence carried out by them. You took a life, abandon your humanity, and tried to kill my/me host and the Avatar. You will suffer the consequences! Together Amaterasu?" **

"Of course, follow my lead young one." The Spirit's Champion placed his hands on Zaheer, who tried to rip his head free of his grasp without results. The Guardian Spirit placed her hands on the boy's shoulders. Their energies merged as they flowed through Zaheer's body. Amaterasu guided Varuna as she delivered the man's sentence. "**Instead of removing your bending, I'll turn it against you. Your gift is now your curse. Anytime you breathe, it will feel as if a thousand knives are stabbing your lungs. When the gentle breeze blows around you, your body will cry out in pain as it feels it a thousand times worse than it is. Any attempts at bending will tear through your body harming yourself instead of others. If you fly, you'll find yourself stuck as the pressure will force you back on the ground. For the rest of your life let this punishment exist!" **

There was a flash of light as Varuna carried out that sentence. Together with his host their power melted into Zaheer's body, twisting his bending around while changing his pain receptors. Letting go, they watched with satisfaction as Zaheer endured his first painful breath. Amaterasu looked at him coldly before surrounding him by clouds. The sky opened up as Zaheer got sucked in and taken away. "Don't worry, he's returning to his cell under heavy guard. Now, you all need speed if you're to save the Avatar. Allow me to help." The group found themselves sucked into the sky. A flash of light and five seconds later they found themselves back on Air Temple Island where an anxious Senna and worried Katara waited for them. Upon seeing the state of their children they rushed over.

Arsenal was already contacting the League asking them to get ready for an emergency hospital visit for mercury poisoning. The rest of the team called out orders as they prepared Korra for the trip. Bumblebee was quickly explaining to Tornraq and Seena, what would happen once they went back home to Korra, informing them that the cure was almost as bad as the poison, but it was the only hope she had. Senna was already prepared to go with them telling her husband he was needed here.

"Do you think Korra will survive the journey to their world?" Bolin asked anxiously. The trio stood very still as they watched Guardian pulling open a stretcher as Flamebird secured the girl down. The others rushed to attach strange medicinal devices to use from who knows where.

"She's survived it before when she was half dead," Asami pointed out.

"Besides this is her only chance to survive. We have to have faith that everything will work out," Mako whispered to them.

"They're ready for us, Batman's already arranged everything and the Zeta Tubes are active. We need to go now, if she's to have any hope. Oh and by the way our worlds are time lined again," Red Spirit called out. "She'll be gone a couple of months in our world. Think you guys can handle that?"

"I'll stay, between my duties as the Spirit's Champion and Team Avatar, we'll fix the situation in the Earth Kingdom. Just go already, no time for goodbyes, just tell her that we love her and hope for a full recovery." Everyone voiced the same sentiments as Senna stood by her daughter's stretcher. With a quick wave they were gone. Seconds later they popped back into the Cave where the League's best healers were waiting. Doing a quick assessment they rushed through the Zeta Tubes heading to Gotham Memorial Hospital, the best hospital for taking care of Korra and under one League member's slight control.

* * *

Two weeks passed as the remaining leaders came to Air Temple Island to discuss the future of their world, while Avatar Korra regained her health, in the other world. To keep her safe, rumors and press conferences, informed the world that their Avatar was being kept safe at a secret OWL location. Her seclusion would last as long as it took for her to return to one hundred percent.

Sitting down at the meeting table Tonraq, a wheelchair benched Eska, and Bao on one side representing the different Water Tribes. Lord Zuko, his daughter Fire Lord Izumi and her son General Iroh sat across from them. President Raiko sat at the head of the table with Tenzin on his right side and Kilchii on the left to represent the spirits interests. The other end of the table sat Su, who at this time, would act as a representative of the Earth Kingdom.

"This meeting in session. We're here to discuss both the Earth Kingdom chaos and how the world will survive with their Avatar once again missing. Suyin Beifong, as the Matriarch of the Metal Clan and the head of the city-state Zaofu, logically you would…" President Raiko began as Su stopped him in mid sentence with a shake of her head.

"I know what you want, but I don't feel comfortable with the idea. If I went out to stabilize the government only to declare myself as the new leader, I'm certain the power could corrupt me. I'm not like the rest of you, all I care about is protecting my family and home, those I can manage, taking on the whole Kingdom, to be its new leader, I can't." Su replied.

"Are you sure there's nothing we can say that would change your mind?" Tenzin asked softly. Her body language indicating she wouldn't budge on the issue. Knowing that it would be futile to argue he turned to the rest of the leaders. "Kilchii, do the Spirits have a solution to what's happening? Will they be assisting us in any way?"

Kilchii looked up from his bracelet before clearing his throat. "The spirits of the Earth Kingdom are at the moment working to save Hei Bei's life force. Zaheer did a number on him. Many of the spirits have return home to care for him. They won't interfere in the physical world until their Guardian Spirit is rested and recovered."

"Perrrhappppps, the solution to ourrrrrrrrrrrrrrr problemmmmmmm with the Earth Kingdm is right in front of our eeeeeeeeeeyyyyes," Eska said in broken words. She was still learning to adapt to her jaw while learning to read lips. For the time being right now, she had an aid to help her understand what she didn't catch. Raising her good arm she pointed at Tenzin, "The Air Nomds have gained, new ben ers. If we combine…our resources, a team of diplomats, engineers, politician should be able to help stabilize the earth."

"I second her motion. The Swamp Tribe would be honored to help and provide a home to the team in our Swamp, it's still Water Tribe land if something goes wrong," Bao offered. Though almost no one had been there, it was agreed it would be a safe place to stay. They continued to discuss who should be on the team and how it would work until Tenzin said it was time for an important ceremony.

As they headed for the temple, Tenzin placed a hand on Kilchii's shoulder. "I owe you an apology. I have always seen myself as the expert on spiritual matters or the best way to teach someone their role, but I was wrong." Tenzin looked away for a second wondering if he should say more. That's when Kilchii gave him a small side hug. Tenzin looked at him confused for a minute.

"You've helped me more than I've admitted. With Korra away, I'll be looking at your council to help me in the future. Now shall we?" They both stepped inside the temple each taking their place.

The sweet scent of sandalwood from the columns relaxed their nerves. A hush fell over all the audience. Air Acolytes, their children, even visitors from the Spirit World sat in anticipation as a cloaked Jinora stepped forward to stand next to her father. Looking around Tenzin started speaking.

"People of the nations, my father's dream was to rebuild the Air Nomads. For the last seventy-one years our Acolytes have carried on our traditions. With this changing world some of our traditions, helping the Air Nomads grow. The greatest gift that our nation has received in the return of our airbenders. Our future has been secured as we continue to thrive, in generations to come airbending will get stronger."

"While Avatar Korra recovers, the Air Nomads will join with the other nations, to help stabilize the Earth Kingdom and keep balance until she recovers. Our newly anointed master shall lead the way. Jinora stand and reveal your mastery." As Jinora stood tall and proud of her air tattoos, as the others blew incense around the room causing the wind chimes to tinkle. Watching this moment Kilchii was full of hope, but more importantly, faith that Korra would return to him one day.

* * *

In the two weeks that had passed in the Young Justice world; everyone was understandably scared and worried about the Avatar's condition. Gotham Memorial Hospital had the latest advances in all medical fields and they were being extra thorough with Mr. Wayne's private patient; Korra A. Tribe. The poor girl had suffered from both externally and internally with additional vapors and chemical burns when she had been rushed in. Chaos and confusion took over and the young woman's mother had been forcefully taken from the treatment area until her daughter was stable.

After setting her up a private room they had begun to administer the chelation drug EDTA. The chelation therapy consisted of fifteen different infusions during a three week course. The nurses and doctors kept meticulous notes about Korra's treatment regiment, making sure no side effects ranging from mild fevers and chills, to the more dangerous one such as kidney and neurological damage. Before she could be released, Korra would need an appropriate amount of time to test for side effects and making sure the poison had been completely purged. After that it would several months of physical therapy and checkup every two weeks to once a month depending on Korra's recovery rate. One thing was clear, it would be months, maybe a year, until Korra recovered enough to return home.

Korra struggled to sit up right. It was lunch time as the nurse brought a meal loaded with vitamins C, E, and plenty of water and healthy minerals. "You need to eat enough to replace what is taken away from your body. If you want to beat this, then you need to stay ahead of it," the nurse told her gently. "Do you think you can keep it down?"

"She hasn't had any nausea in three days. She's just fatigued, her chills return from time to time. Could you check her latest blood test results, we need to know if she's becoming anemic," Senna calmly questioned. Senna's clothes consisted of blue jacket, white tunic, and a pair of black pants with boots. Senna's paperwork stated she was a holistic treatment nurse, along with other important information that was needed to help with Korra's medical records. Batman had been kind enough to offer his manor as a temporary home when Senna couldn't stay at the hospital. The nurse assured the mother they would double-check her daughter's blood tests.

Once she was gone, her eyes turned back to Korra. "You need to eat something. I know that you're not happy to be here right now. I know you love being the Avatar, but Korra, you come first, and you will always come first."

"It's not that Mom," Korra whispered. Trembling she managed to hold a cup of water and drink from it. The whole effort left her feeling weak and fragile. "I'm worried for our world. How is Kilchii going to handle things without me? The Earth Kingdom is falling to ruin and cough cough cough."

Bending a bit of water from the plants Senna did a small healing, fixing her daughter's throat a bit. She used her healing abilities only when no one was around and if it was something simple to heal. "You're restless, but your friends are coming to visit today. Lie back and don't move so much."

Throughout the day she was visited by her friends. Catching up with them was nice. The groups usually consisted of two or three members in order to not overwhelm her. Each person's news made her happier. Artemis and Wally had gotten engaged and had a new dog. Raquel and Zantana were both dating wonderful men. Conner was aging appropriately, M'gann had her telepathic abilities under control and Dick had grown into a proper leader thanks to Aqualad's help. Her new friends had also shared news, the biggest one was thanks to her and Zuko's intervention, Jason avoided dying on a mission a few days ago. It made her smile.

Settling back down, she pulled up the covers yawning a bit. Her precious necklace and bracelet safely tucked away in her mom's pocket. The sun was slowly setting and the music in her room became softer. "I promise, I will take the time to recover properly. Until that day, I pray to the Guardians of the Nations, protect the world and my friends." Korra whispered. One more yawn and her eyes closed. Another adventure had ended, with the two worlds time was back in synch, who knew what would happen next?

_End of Crossover Three. Forth will come out in 2015. _


End file.
